Written in the Stars
by PurpleHush
Summary: Emmett McCarty is the school’s infamous jock. Rosalie Hale is just an average shy girl with a big secret. Emmett falls in love with her and tells her he's ready to change for her, but what will happen if he finds out about her secret?
1. New Girl in Town

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**So here it is, my latest Emmett-Rosalie fic. I hope you'll like this as much as Only Hope and Before It's Too Late. Every chapter will be written in Emmett's POV, but I can make some special chapters in Rosalie's point of view...I dunno, we'll see. On with the story…**

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**1 New Girl in Town**

"Emmett! Get down here. Now." I heard my mom boom from the living room.

_Great._ I groaned and buried my head under my pillow. _Can't I sleep peacefully in my own home? _I started counting in my mind; my mom will come and break down my door if I don't go down there within ten seconds.

One…two…three…four…five…six…se-

The door bolt open. Six and a half seconds – _new record!_

"Emmett Dale McCarty, get up!" my mom demanded.

Jeez. I groaned again, this time making it louder and sound more pathetic. "Good morning, Mom," I said as I sat up.

Her hands were on her waist – typical picture of a suburban mother scolding her not so responsible son. She looked at me like I was some guy with a bad record. "You're in big trouble, young man."

I sighed and took a deep breath. "Sorry for coming home late last night. I didn't mean to."

"Didn't mean to? Emmett, you arrived around past midnight. Way past your curfew."

Here we go again with the never ending sermon. The next line is going to be 'You are not acting like your age, young man. Blah blah blah.'

"You are not acting like your age, young man. You'll be grounded the next time you come home late." My mom sounded like a reprimanding teacher.

Thought so. I stood up, fixed my pillows and promised my mom not to do it _again_. Seriously, I lost track on how many times I went home late. But I wasn't doing anything bad like drinking and sleeping with women. Well, the drinking part was a little bit true. Okay, I'll tell you the truth. I often end up having a brawl with someone when I'm too drunk. Other people think of me as a badass person, and honestly, I don't really care as long as I'm away from my family. I'd do anything to keep me away from my oh-so-perfect family…my empty life.

My dad, Eugene McCarty, is a successful doctor and has earned fame and fortune for his 'great' work ethics. Katherine, my mom, is like the redhead from Desperate Housewives. She's a dedicated homemaker, obsessive-compulsive in my opinion, and a perfectionist. And my little sister (twelve years younger than me; I'm 17), Abigail, who I lovingly call Abby, is such a sweetheart. She's the only thing that keeps me from going insane...and she's one of the few people who have seen the 'kind' side of me. She's the only person I show gentleness to.

Oh and, I had a big brother, but he died a couple of years ago. Guess what? My mother kind of blamed me for his death. Yeah. What a life. I guess that's what made me become this belligerent person that I am today.

"Emmie!" a tiny little voice squeaked with delight as I jogged down the stairs.

I looked around and saw Abby at the living room, watching Shrek with her teddy bear clutched in her arms. "Hey there, little girl." I lifted her up and carried her to the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head with a huge grin on her face. "I just ate pancakes."

"Okay then. Guess I'll have to eat by myself."

I put her down and let her continue watch Shrek and munched on the pancakes left for me. My mom is a great cook; I'd give her credit for that. And she's more than willing to help the neighbors; she often cooks for Chief Swan whenever his daughter, Bella, and her cousin, Alice, are out of town.

My mom emerged from the living room, dressed elegantly again, with Dad trailing from behind her. "Emmett, your dad and I are going to Port Angeles. Take care of your sister. Do _not_ leave the house," she ordered like a general or something. "And don't _trash_ the house either, and don't forget to feed Daisy."

Daisy…her beloved Maltese. I think she loves that dog more than me.

Instead of telling her that I have no intention of trashing the house, I just nodded. That's another thing about my mom. She thinks I'm just a load of crap. She doesn't trust me with anything.

A couple of ideas entered my mind. I could go out and play with the La Push boys…or I could invite my teammates and trash the house to piss off my mom.

Nah. I'd get my ass grounded if I trash the house.

I finished up the rest of my pancakes and dumped the plate on the sink and joined Abby at the living room.

I took her and placed her on my lap. "So, what do you want to do?" I asked her playfully.

"Barbie!" she answered joyfully, playing with her teddy bear.

"Barbie?" I asked playfully, playing with her curly hair. "I can't play Barbie, silly princess. How about I take you over to Bella's? You can play dress up with Alice."

She beamed with delight, quickly got out of my arms, and went to her room humming Fergie's Glamorous. I switched the channel to MTV and waited for Abby. She came back a couple of minutes later with her Barbie bag.

Abby and I walked hand in hand to Bella's house, which was just beside ours. Thank God for giving me a neighbor like Bella; she's always happy to take care of Abby whenever I have to do some stuff.

Chief Swan was already getting ready to go to work. He told me Bella was inside with Alice.

"Hey there, Bella," I greeted as she opened the door.

Abby ran inside their house towards Alice, who was painting her nails. Alice immediately stopped what she was doing and gave Abby a warm hug.

"Can I leave Abby here? I'll be at the court." I smiled at Bella.

Bella nodded. "Sure."

Something odd made me pause as I was about to leave Bella's porch. A blonde girl was sitting at the porch of the house in front of ours. That house has been vacant for a year now.

"Is that house occupied now?"

"Yeah, you were surprised huh?" Bella walked towards me. "Me too. I was checking the mail box when that girl waved at me."

The first thing that I noticed about the girl was her pale alabaster skin. She looked like she doesn't have enough red blood cells or something. Well, every kid in Forks look pale; she would fit in within no time. Another thing I noticed was that she was dressed like an old lady. She was wearing a knee-high dress with floral prints and a blue sweater. The only thing I like about her is her hair. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back.

"One dress shopping is all it takes to make her look pretty," Bella said.

"The only thing that's pretty is her hair," I scoffed.

Bella smacked my arm. I looked at her with a confused look on my face. I could tell that I shouldn't have said that by the look on her face. I cleared my throat. "When did they move to the house?"

Bella shrugged and shook her head. Never mind, I could find it out later from Mom. She knows everything there is to know about our neighborhood.

"I'll go on; the boys are waiting for me." I patted Bella's shoulder. I poked my head inside Bella's house. "If anything goes wrong, call me. I have my cell phone with me, okay Abby?"

"O-kayyy," she replied sweetly.

I kissed her tiny cheeks and jogged off to the court.

-----

I looked at my watch and got surprised by how I completely lost track of time. It was already four in the afternoon. I've been playing for too long now. I gave Jacob and the rest of the boys a wave of goodbye and jogged back to Bella's house. I was relieved when I saw our driveway still empty. Chief Swan was the one who opened the door when I knocked.

"Enjoyed the game too much?" he greeted with a grin.

I panted and slowly began breathing evenly. "Yeah, the boys are really getting good."

Chief Swan smiled and turned his head to the living room. "Girls, Emmett's here."

Abby ran towards me and backed off a little when she saw me sweaty. I had to laugh at her reaction. Alice followed with all of Abby's stuff.

"Thanks Alice. Thanks Bella."

"No problem. Bring your little princess here whenever she wants to play dress up," Alice mused.

"So, how was your time with Alice?" I asked Abby as we walked to our house.

She smiled happily; she obviously had a great time. "It was perfect!"

I took a glance at the house in front of ours and my curiosity about our new neighbors sparked again. The girl I saw this morning was sitting at the porch, reading a book. Abby and I were almost at the door when Dad's car came into view.

-----

"Do you know anything about the new neighbors?" I asked as casual as I could.

My mother looked at me as if she didn't expect me to ask that question. "Mrs. Miller said they moved around midnight. She was still watching TV and she heard trucks, and you know how curious Mrs. Miller is."

Midnight? Who moves to a neighborhood at midnight? I remembered the day we moved here; Mom was wearing all her pricey pearls when she introduced herself to the neighbors.

"Anyway, aren't you late for school?" She finished packing Abby's lunchbox and gave me my allowance.

I finished my breakfast and went to school.

-----

Though I'm pretty sure that my girl neighbor is just about my age, she really dresses like an old nerd lady. Today she's wearing a plaid knee-high skirt, a white collared shirt…and a gray cardigan sweater. To finish her look, she wore black flats and she was wearing her hair in low pigtails.

Voila, a walking fashion no-no. I bet Alice is already clawing her eyes out, if she had seen this girl. Some of the students were trying to stifle their laughs as the new girl walked past them. Behind the girl was a blond guy, probably her brother, who looked like he was in pain or something. He literally glared at those who laughed at the blond girl.

"Seriously, can't she look any funnier?" I said out loud. Edward Cullen laughed and high-fived with me.

Bella smacked the back of my head. "Lower your voice. She can hear you."

True – the girl can hear me. She was just a few feet away from us, hiding her face behind the door of her locker. I just can't help but make fun of her.

"I bet she'll be sitting alone at the prom table this year." Victoria smirked and smiled, pleased with herself. She's one self-absorbed girl.

The bell rang and I quickly went to my first class – English. When I entered the room, some girls giggled, and some guys nodded towards me, which was very typical - me being the most popular football player in school and all. Then they all started to look like they were trying to stifle their laugh. I turned around and saw the girl behind me.

She sat on the only vacant seat in our room – the seat right beside mine.

"Class, looks like we have a new student here," Mr. Carter announced and nodded at the new girl beside me. "What's your name, miss?"

She looked around the room and I could already tell that she was nervous. "Rosalie Hale."

I don't know if it was her voice or the way she spoke, but she sounded so frail, like a helpless bird. I'm pretty sure that it's only a matter of time before the vultures start to pick on this helpless bird.

Man, I feel sorry for this girl. High school is going to be hard for her.

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**Like it? Hate it? Hit the button below and tell me what you think. I _love_ getting reviews; you'd make my day if you give me one. Ha! Bye for now. :)**


	2. Days Like These

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**Thanks**** to those who reviewed. You guys made my day. I'm glad that you like the story so far, and I hope you'll like it til the end. So, on with the story… :)**

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**2 Days Like These**

Have I ever told you that I'm sort of bad-tempered? Well, now you know. I also happen to have a reputation as a man who never backs out of a fight. I've been involved in too many brawls, and today is no difference.

Earlier today, I got into a fight with one of my teammates. Why? He picked on Mike Newton's scrawny ass. Not that it's not true; it's just that Mike happens to be a friend of mine. And no one messes with my friends.

So here I am, sitting in front of Principal Turner. He's been talking on and on about patience and something about temper for about five minutes now, and I'm getting real bored. Besides, why am I the only one being reprimanded? Jim Smith should be the one sitting here in front of the principal; he was the one who started it all by picking on Mike.

"Mr. McCarty?" the principal pulled me back to reality.

I shifted in my seat. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Mr. McCarty, because you have football practice after school hours, I can't put you in detention class. So your punishment will be to clean the school every morning from Monday to Saturday," the principal said with a firm tone.

"Wha…?" Did I hear him correctly? "You want _me_ to _clean_ the school? Jim Smith should be the one cleaning the school."

The principal nodded. "Do you want me to double your punishment?" He raised his eyebrows.

Crap. I sighed and shook my head. "No sir. When will I start?"

"Tomorrow morning. Your punishment will go on for a month."

With that, I shouldered my bag and left the room. I could already hear my mom's voice in my head.

-----

As I expected, my mom was already waiting for me in the living room when I got home. Let's just say that everything went as I predicted…

"Principal Turner called this afternoon." So much for a welcome home greeting.

I grinned and tried to look happy. "Hi Mom, I'm home."

She rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her forehead. "When are you going to learn?"

"Learn what?" I slumped on the couch and turned on the TV.

My mom took the remote from my hand and turned it off. "Learn to live your life correctly!"

"Okay," I replied with a shrug.

"You are nothing like your brother," she muttered.

There she goes again. Seriously, I lost track of how many times she compared me to my late brother. And now she did it AGAIN. She does that _every time_ she wants me to get the hint that I'm flawed.

I grabbed the remote from her and tried to drown out the last sentence she said. But, much like I predicted, she still went on.

"Danny never tainted our family's image. But you…you act before you think. You don't consider what other people will say about us before you do something stupid." She sounded so frustrated.

"I don't care what other people think Mom, ok? So don't go lecturing me about thinking before doing something." I jogged up to my room before she could say another damn word. How could a mother be like that to her own son? I guess she just doesn't want me.

One thing I love doing after being scolded is to do weights. But now I just don't feel like it. A text message pulled me out of my thoughts. I grabbed the cell phone from the night stand and flipped it open.

_Thanks 4 saving me. I'm sorry 4 getting u into trouble tho,_ the text message read. It was from Mike.

I shook my head. _No problem, _I texted back.

My head was spinning, probably from trying real hard to tune out my mother's words when she was scolding me. I'm sick of her nagging me about what I do and even if do something _good_, she still tries to find a way to make me look bad.

The cool night air was relaxing; it was a good idea to take a walk to clear my mind. As I looked around, I realized that too many things have changed. Like Ol' Jack's house – all his beloved garden dwarfs were all gone; Mrs. Keller's roses were replaced by tulips, and the mini playground in the front lawn of the Jenkins was already gone too.

Too many things changed since Danny's death, and I didn't even notice those changes. Life in this neighborhood isn't the same now that my brother - my best friend - is now gone. I slowly walked back to my house and stopped by the gate to look around the neighborhood once again. My mind started to wander and ended up at the memory of what happened to Danny. I closed my eyes and started counting – it really helped me a lot during the months after Danny's accident, and it still does help.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the new girl by the balcony of her house. What's her name again? Reese? No…Roselyn… Ah! Rosalie. Rosalie Hale.

I'm pretty sure she can't see me, but I can see her clearly from my view. She was looking up at the sky, and by the look on her face, I could assume that she's admiring the stars.

I sat down on the grass and stared at her. There was something about her that made me think of my brother…as if she had a connection to him. Tears welled up in my eyes involuntarily.

_Stop it…_ I hated times like this…times when I blame myself for what happened to my brother. I told myself that it wasn't my fault, that I wasn't the one who sent him to his deathbed, but how could I believe that when my mother always blamed his death on me?

I wiped my tears away and looked at the new girl's balcony, but she wasn't there anymore. I sighed and decided to go back to the house and sleep; I have to wake up early for my school punishment. And I have to stop being so emotional.

Emmett McCarty is not one to show weakness. Not anymore.

-----

I was already done mopping the floor when the school bell rang. Guess what? The students just barged in the halls and paraded in their dirty shoes. Now I have to re-mop the floor again, and I'm going to be late for my class. Well, at least now I know how hard the janitor's job is. Good thing I'm only doing this for one month.

The time passed by quickly and now football practice is over. I went to the locker room and took a quick shower. I have to get home early; aside from receiving punishment from the principal, I'm also grounded.

No, wait. Since when did I comply with my mother's rules? Heck, I can't remember the last time I let her ground me. I changed my mind and decided to go to Edward's house. I changed clothes and jogged to the parking lot and drove off.

I only decided to go home when Edward literally pushed me out of his house. He told me to go home because my mother is probably worried. I don't think so. Why would she worry about me when all she ever talked about was getting rid of me?

Abby was the reason why I decided to go home. She couldn't sleep if I'm not there by her side. At least I have a reason to go home.

As I walked down the dark empty street, with only the light from the lamp post illuminating the way, I heard a girl scream for help. Instinctively, I looked around and tried to find where the scream came from. Another scream echoed through the night air. I ran as fast as I could and ended up in a small alley.

There were four ugly looking men trying to rob a girl. The girl looked familiar; as I went closer, her face came into view. Rosalie Hale.

"Hey!" I shouted out loud to get the attention of the thugs.

All four men looked at me. "Get lost, kid!" said one of the gangsters. The others laughed.

"Why don't you find jobs instead of robbing a helpless girl, eh?"

One of the men turned to look at me and pierced his eyes through mine. "Why don't you stop and do yourself a favor, kid. Run away."

_Jerk,_ I thought. I smirked and moved closer to him. "First of all, I'm not a soulless person who will just leave a helpless girl behind…and stop calling me 'kid'." With that, I punched the guy as hard as hell on his face. He fell unconscious to the ground.

The others were surprised; they all ran towards me and started to throw me punches. I handled those punches easily and maneuvered past two of the thugs and gave them uppercuts. Then I turned back to the other thug and kicked him in the stomach.

All of that happened very fast, almost like a blink of an eye. All the four jerks were now lying on the ground.

I laughed and let pride and glory sink deeper into my bones as I stared at the losers in front of me. I turned to look at Rosalie, who looked like she was disappointed or something.

"You are such a ruffian." She was looking at me like what I did was wrong.

I scoffed. "You should thank me."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, and then walked away.

What the…? "Hey! I just saved you from those thugs and you don't even thank me for doing that!" I shouted, now angry because of her, but she didn't look back. How could she snap at me like that? I saved her and that's the thanks I get? A once-over and a harsh 'You're such a ruffian' comment?

_Bullshit!_ I wasted my time to save her from these jerks. Now I have to explain to my mother where these bruises came from. Seriously, what kind of a person does that? Walk away from the person who just saved you without even thanking him? That's just…argh!

-----

"Who did you fight this time?" My mother asked. She sounded like she had been asking me this question for too many times, it's becoming a routine.

I bit my lip. "I saved a girl from a group of thugs."

"Oh really?" she asked sarcastically. "You want me to believe that you saved a girl? You're just making that story up to make yourself look good."

"I'm telling you the truth! Why don't you even bother to believe me?"

My mother looked at me like I'm supposed to know the answer. She grimaced. "Because you're good-for-nothing."

Now that really hurt. I just wish that she'd stop thinking of me as a good-for-nothing, even just for once.

"Yeah? And Danny's the perfect son? You've pointed that out too many times now Mom. Why don't you just tell me that you'd rather have me dead than Danny?" I couldn't hide the irritation and anger in my voice.

My mom didn't say anything. She just looked at me…as if I didn't say a word, as if nothing happened.

I walked out of the house and stopped when I saw Rosalie at her balcony.

This time, she saw me. She looked at me for a couple of seconds before she went back to her room and slammed her balcony door. What did I do to make her act like that? Maybe mom bad mouthed me to them. Whatever.

I pushed those thoughts aside and went back to my house and locked myself inside my room. I threw myself onto my bed and turned off the lamp.

Why did my life become so…crappy?

That was the last thing on my mind before I drifted off to sleep.

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**So...what do you think? Is Emmett's mom annoying? Is she getting on your nerves? Ha, just fooling around. Anyway, you know comments are always welcome. Please review. :)  
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	3. The Beginning

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**Thanks**** to those who reviewed. You guys made my day. I'm glad that you like the story so far. You'll hate Emmett's Mom more in the next few chapters. Ha! So, on with the story… :)**

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**3 The Beginning**

Ever since Danny died, I had this big room to myself. We shared this room since I was ten, and this was our 'headquarters'. We'd play here until we get tired, watch TV when we're too lazy to do our home works, drink beer and talk whenever we're heartbroken. Yes…I was very close with Danny, and this room reminds me so much of him. I remember the last night we spent in this room…

"_I'm glad you got into the football team. That's really something." Danny patted my shoulder._

_I smiled with pride. "Thanks. Anyway, how's your song?"_

_He sighed. "I'm not in the mood to finish it. I dunno; I think I don't have so much time left."_

"_What are you talking about? Your deadline is not until 2 months."_

"_I'm not talking about the deadline of the song…"_

_Something about his voice sent shivers down my spine. Danny noticed the uncomfortable look on my face._

"_I just feel like something bad is going to happen, that's all." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Don't worry about me Em."_

So after he died, I didn't bother to clean this room. Maybe I cleaned it once or twice, but I stopped because it's not worth cleaning anymore. Not when he's not here to help me clean it. I guess I just got accustomed to the way this room is now – messy. That way, my clothes and other junks would cover Danny's stuff.

A soft knock made me sit up from my lying position.

"Emmett?" It was my Dad.

I jumped out of the bed and opened the door for him. He looked around the room and grimaced; he hasn't been here for a couple of months now.

"Do you want me to ask your mom to clean the room?" He sat on my bed.

I scoffed. "She doesn't even want to come here."

"I'm sorry for the way your mom treats you." Sincerity was overwhelming my dad's eyes. At least he can understand my pain.

I tried to look nonchalant. "It's okay. I guess she just misses Danny."

"We all do." My dad patted my shoulder. "But I feel like your mom is pushing you away. I don't want to lose another son."

That brought a smile to my lips. "I'm not going anywhere. I still have to be here by the time Abby starts to date boys."

Dad chuckled. I missed talking to him. He patted my shoulder once again and then stood up. "I'm always here for you son."

I nodded and smiled at him. With that, he left my room. For once, I felt like I'm _wanted_ in this house.

-----

"So where did your bruises come from?" Alice placed her tray on the table and sat in front of me. "Everyone's been talking about your new bruises."

That's another thing: when you're popular in school, everything you do will be a big deal. I just shrugged. I don't really feel like bragging about saving a girl from thugs when the girl herself doesn't even think of it that way.

Alice shook her head and started to eat her salad. "Charlie said he heard you and your mother arguing last night."

Crap. "He heard that?"

She nodded. "Yeah, even Bella heard that. So what's the deal now?"

"The usual – me being a piece of crap…"

Alice bit her lip and patted my hand. "Your mom loves you. So don't go sulking, okay?"

I shifted in my seat. "Who said I'm sulking?"

"I just know so." Alice kinked her eyebrows and took a spoonful of salad.

Right then, Rosalie Hale passed by our table. I looked at her and watched her every move. It seems like she doesn't even know me, like I didn't help her at all.

"I think she's nice," Alice blurted out as she eyed Rosalie.

I scoffed. "What makes you say so?"

"She helped me with my Science project." Alice smiled when Rosalie looked at her. The girl just nodded and went back to eating her lunch.

Well according to what she did when I helped her, she's not nice.

"Nice sweater, loser." I heard Victoria say.

I turned my head to her direction and saw her standing in front of Rosalie's table with her two dumb sidekicks.

Rosalie just nodded at Victoria. Victoria and the rest of her clique laughed and spilled the poor girl's milk on purpose. To my surprise, Rosalie just ignored them and waited for them to leave her table.

That's it? If I were her, I would've knocked Victoria off. When Rosalie's eyes met mine, she just turned her head down and went on with eating her lunch.

I shook my head and felt sorry for her.

-----

The rest of the day went on like my usual school days. After classes, I reported to the principal and then went on to my regular football practice. I was so pumped after the practice that I decided to walk home instead of riding with Edward.

I was already at the park when I remembered that I forgot my Biology book at school. I ran as fast as I could. When I got back to the school, I rushed to the Bio lab and found my book on my table.

Right when I was walking at the corridor, I heard voices…as if they were arguing. Not meaning to pry, I followed the voices and ended at the gym and peeked at the doors. There was a huge guy and…Rosalie?

"Miss, it's just a date. C'mon," the guy said.

"I'm sorry. Please let me go." Rosalie tried to free herself from the guy's grip, but to no avail; he was much stronger than her.

What is it with this girl and jerks? It's seems like I always end up rescuing her…like fate has something to do with it. Without thinking, I entered the gym. "Let her go. You heard her; she doesn't want to have a date with you."

Rosalie looked like she was surprised to see me.

The guy let go of Rosalie and walked up to me. "Well well, look who we have here," he said with an amused tone. "Emmett McCarty, the famous belligerent jock." He then grabbed me by my collar. "I'll stop bugging her if you defeat me." He sounded like he was so sure that he'd win over me.

I chuckled. "Very well then…" I threw my bag towards Rosalie and winked at her.

Rosalie just stood there and watched me fight with this jerk.

The guy gave me a hard punch; I kicked him. Both of us exchanged kicks and punches. This guy isn't even worth fighting; his punches were nothing compared to mine.

"This is getting boring," I muttered arrogantly.

Much as I expected, the guy got mad. He punched me on my face as hard as he could, but it felt like nothing. Well, it hurt a lot, but I can't show it to him. With that, I gave him an uppercut. That made the guy fall on his knees.

I looked down at him and clenched my fists. "You want more?"

The guy struggled to get up. "No, please. I won't bother her again!" he gushed and then ran away.

I took a deep sigh and turned to look at Rosalie. "See, I won."

Rosalie ran towards me. "You didn't have to -"

Before she could finish her sentence, I fell on my knees. My head started to throb like hell.

Rosalie dropped her bag and helped me sit up. "You see, this is the result when you fight." She sounded so worried.

I looked up at her. It was the first time I saw her eyes close up; it was glistening and scorching at the same time. Her violet-shaded eyes were the most beautiful pair of eyes I have ever seen.

"I h-have to teach that jerk a lesson. He shouldn't treat girls like that," I explained. Why I had to explain myself to her, I don't understand. "You don't have to worry about me. I always get involved in brawls," I added.

Rosalie sighed and held my hand. Her touch almost melted me. "Can you stand up?" she asked.

I looked at her and nodded. She helped me get up and then grabbed our bags.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked as she helped me walk out of the gym.

"To the clinic; I'm going to fix your wounds," she whispered.

-----

"Ouch! Take it easy there," I mumbled and grimaced as she dabbed cotton with betadine on the bruise on my left cheek.

Rosalie looked at me and smiled. "We're almost done. Besides, if you didn't fight with that guy, you wouldn't feel the pain you're feeling right now."

As I watched her soak cotton with betadine, I couldn't help but feel awkward. Truth be told, I never felt awkward around a girl. I didn't expect her to take care of my wounds. Last time I helped her, she just walked away.

"Why are you doing this? I mean, why are you helping me?" I blurted out.

Rosalie looked deep into my eyes. "You saved me…again. I didn't thank you when you saved me yesterday," she explained. "This is how I will express my gratitude."

Wow. She sounded so thoughtful; I've never had someone talk to me with that kind of tone. For a moment, I stared at her and watched her every move. It was only then when I realized how gentle and kind she looked like. Beneath the dorky look, I could tell that she was just like any normal girl.

"We're done," Rosalie said and then stood up. She started cleaning the table she used.

"Thanks," I said as I grabbed her hand. "You're the only one who took care of me like this."

Rosalie's brows creased in confusion. "What do you mean? You have your parents -"

I didn't let her finish. "My parents don't give a rat's ass about me, especially my mother. She thinks I'm nothing but a load of crap."

I could tell that she felt sorry for me by the look on her face. Her cheeks suddenly flushed red, and when I followed her eyes, I realized I was still holding her hand. I let go of it hesitantly and tried to look nonchalant.

"I don't understand…your mother said she's happy to have you and your sister when she was talking to my mother."

I chuckled sarcastically and looked away. "That's what she say whenever she's talking to other people, so they would think of us as a perfect family. But when we're all alone in the house, all she ever talks about is how I'm so…" I trailed off; I didn't want to unleash my problems with a girl I just met.

The two of us just stared at each other for a moment. When I saw pity in her eyes, I looked away and helped her clean the table so I could do something. When we finished cleaning, we went out of the clinic together.

"It's getting dark. If you want, I could walk you home," I suggested.

Rosalie smiled shyly. "You don't have to do that."

I shoved my hands on my pocket. "What if a guy tries to seduce you again? Or if a bunch of jerks try to rob you? Who would be there to help you?" I tried to sound as casual as I could.

Rosalie sighed as she considered what I just said. "Okay, you win." She smiled once again.

The two of us walked together, and I found myself completely fond of her. I even told her jokes, which I don't usually do. We both shared some laughs and smiles as we shared funny stories with each other. To my surprise, I felt so at ease with her.

Rosalie stopped walking when she reached her house. She looked at me with a cute smile on her face. "This is me," she said.

I shoved my hands in my pocket and nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"I don't want to see another bruise on your face tomorrow," Rosalie said with a sweet grin.

I laughed and then grinned. "I'll try to be good. Good night."

With that, she walked towards her house. I waited until she entered the door before I walked to my house.

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**You know what to do. ;)**


	4. Little Breaks, Little Bends

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**As usual, a big thanks to those who reviewed, as well as to those who read this story. :) BTW, for those who are asking, Rosalie's character here is really kind of awkward and shy. You'll know why sooner or later. ;)**

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**4: Little Breaks, Little Bends**

This day started like any other usual day – Mom almost literally dragged me out of my bed. She didn't leave my room until I dragged myself to the bathroom. And now, as I try to eat my breakfast, she sat in front of me with a look I don't like.

"Your bruises doubled up in just one day." She folded her arms across her chest.

If I tell her that I saved a girl again, she won't believe me. I just acted like I didn't hear a thing and continued eating.

My mom cleared her throat. "I am talking to you."

I dropped my fork on my plate and looked at her. "I saved our neighbor from a jerk."

"Here we go again," she scoffed. "Enough with that 'I just saved someone' crap. Tell me the truth."

Right now, I really wanted to slap my mom. But she's my mother, and even if I hate her, I still respect her. "I am telling you the truth."

"No you're not."

My chair crashed on the floor when I stood up angrily. "I don't care if you believe me or not, but I am telling the truth."

"Don't you walk away from me, young man," she called after me. I could hear her heels clanging on the floor.

I went to the living room and grabbed my bag from the couch. "You know what?" I turned around and didn't even try to hide the anger I feel. "I'm sick of this bullshit. I'm sick of you nagging me. For once, believe me. If you can't do that, then don't even bother asking me where my bruises came from."

My mother gasped and placed a hand above her chest. "How dare you talk to me like that?"

"No mom… How dare _you_? I'm your son too! And in case you haven't noticed, you stopped treating me as your son when Danny died. So don't go blaming me for being good-for-nothing. Blame yourself."

A soft whimper made me turn around. Abby was standing by the staircase, crying. My loud voice must have woken her up. I felt sorry for her; she didn't have to hear that. This was the first time she heard me shout at mom.

"I'm so sorry Abby." My voice cracked as I spoke. I faced my mother again. "Don't bother to wait for me tonight. I'm not going home."

With that, I went out of the house and slammed the door. Some neighbors were standing by our gate; Alice and Bella were among those neighbors. Right now, I don't care if the whole neighborhood heard that. I don't care if my friends heard that. Heck, I'm even glad they heard it; at least now they know the real score behind my mom's 'perfect' façade.

-----

School sucked as usual. Most of the students kept on staring at me because of the new bruises I'm sporting. What do they care? I've sported bruises a lot of times already, it's nothing really new.

I spent half of my day ignoring and avoiding Bella and Alice. I know them well; they'd just talk to me and ask me to tell them everything and then tell me that everything's going to be okay. Everything's _not _going to be okay…unless Danny comes back from the grave and Mom starts to treat me like a normal person again – which is not going to happen. Well I'm not the kind of person who needs help from others; I hate being consoled and comforted. I don't want anybody to pity me.

"Alice and Bella are looking for you." Edward patted my shoulder.

"In case they haven't noticed yet, I don't want them to find me."

Edward sat down beside me. "You've been sulking the whole day. You just ignored three hot blond chicks earlier, which is so unlike you. And you didn't even eat lunch. What's your problem?"

"What are you, the new Dr. Phil?" I snapped.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help." Edward raised his hand in frustration.

The last thing I needed now is someone else's pity. I stood up and left without saying another word to Edward. I just kept on walking and walking until I ended up in the parking lot. It was still empty, so it was good enough for me. An old oak tree was standing in front of my car, and it looked cozy enough. I sat down on the grass and grabbed a pack of cigarettes from my bag.

This was my first cigarette since I stopped smoking a couple of months ago. Harsh times like this only made me crave for a cigarette, and this time, I didn't hesitate to light it. But before I could even take a drag, a girl behind me cleared her throat. I turned around. It was Rosalie.

"You shouldn't smoke." She took the cigarette stick from me and threw it away.

Although I wanted to shout at her for doing that, I kept my mouth shut and thought of something else to say. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you – you look angry – so I followed you." She pulled her books tighter to her chest. "Is everything okay?"

"No," I grunted in bitter amusement as I looked down on the ground, "then again, has it ever?" I looked up and frowned when I saw her face. "I'm sorry…I'm just in a bad mood. Mom has been…"

"I know," she whispered in a careful tone. "I heard your argument with her. I'm sorry."

"Why?" I snorted. "I mean, it's not your fault I'm messed up."

Rosalie sat down beside me and whispered, "I'm sorry that you're so unhappy."

"Why do you care?" I snapped at her. "Why should _anyone_ care at that matter?" I stood up and grabbed my bag.

"Where are you going?" Rosalie stood up, ready to follow me. "You're upset. You shouldn't be alone right now. I can help -"

"No," I shouted at her so loud it made her flinch. "You can't help me, okay? I'm messed up, and no one could ever help me. And it doesn't mean that we're already friends just because I saved you a couple of times. So stay the hell away from me!"

Not far from us was Edward, who obviously searched for me in hopes of making me spit my problems out. He must've heard my loud voice.

"What's the matter?" Edward asked as he approached me.

I grunted and walked up to him. "This outcast is trying to be close with me." I glanced at Rosalie one last time and saw her on the verge of crying. _The hell I care, _I told myself. I walked away – without looking back – and went straight ahead to the gym to prepare for my game later.

-----

"That was a great game McCarty!" the coach boomed as he entered the locker room.

I nodded firmly and put on my shirt. It's great to have an outlet – football. This is the one thing I'm good at, the only thing that doesn't make me look like a failure. And today's game was a great opportunity for me to unleash my angst about the recent stuff that happened in my life.

"Hey McCarty," Victoria called out.

I turned to face her. "What are you doing here? You're not allowed in the men's room."

She walked closer and closer to me. "I heard you had an episode this morning. Poor Hale went home crying."

I gulped when she pressed herself against me. I was the only guy left at the locker room, so we were all alone. "Hey, stop it."

"You know you want it." She purred.

Victoria started to nuzzle my neck with her nose and rubbed her hands against my shoulder. It's been a long time since we did this.

"Stop it." I grabbed her hand before I could lose control. "We're not together anymore."

She frowned and pouted her full lips. "But I want you back."

"Keep on dreaming, V." Before she could say anything, I jogged out of the locker room.

She's only flirting with me because I just had a great game. My phone started to buzz. Mom's number was flashing on the screen. I rejected the call; I'm not yet in the mood to talk to her. I went to my car and decided to crash at Edward's house. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen wouldn't mind having me there.

-----

Edward sighed for the fourth time this night. He had been trying to convince me to go home because Mom kept on calling him every fifteen damn minutes. I couldn't blame him for asking me to leave his house, but I don't want to see my Mom's face – or even hear her voice – right now. Good thing Carlisle and Esme told me its okay to sleep here in their house tonight.

Edward's phone started to buzz again, and it hasn't even been ten minutes since Mom last called.

"Don't answer that," I sighed.

Edward slumped on his bed. "I'm not planning to, anyway. I'm already sick of your mom's voice."

I chuckled and tossed a ball towards him.

"But seriously, when are you planning to go home?"

I am not going back to that house in a few weeks. I'm so sick of life there; there's nothing left for me there. Maybe I should never come back there. Yeah, that's right. Tomorrow I'll find someone who can help me be emancipated. "Actually, I want to be emancipated." I shrugged.

The look on Edward's face told me that he was undoubtedly against what I said.

"Don't even try to talk me out of it," I warned him. I don't want him telling me that it's not a good idea. "This is my life, and I'll do what I want to do."

Edward shrugged; he knew better than to say something against what I want. "Uh, that girl you shouted at earlier today, she really cried when you left."

Oh, I almost forgot about that. But heck, it's not my problem. "So?"

"You shouldn't have shouted at her." Edward rolled his eyes. "Even if she's at the bottom of the social ladder, you shouldn't have done that."

"She…" I couldn't find the right words to say. Edward's right; I shouldn't have done that. She was trying to help me, for God's sake. How could I be so insensitive?

-----

Ever since I woke up this morning, all I thought about was how to make amends with Rosalie Hale. Edward's words kept on playing in my mind, and I couldn't just push it off. He was right; I shouldn't have shouted at her. She was trying to help.

I'm not the kind of person that tries to say sorry after doing something bad…but something deep inside me wanted to…talk to Rosalie and…if only I could take back what happened yesterday. If only I didn't shout at her…I wouldn't be following her around like a fool…just like what I'm doing right now.

This, for me, is the hardest part in saying sorry – following the person you want to apologize to and trying to persuade her to talk to me. I guess that's why I never bothered to apologize to others before.

Finally, after what it seemed like a day, her History class ended. One by one, the students came out of the room, and much as I expected, Rosalie was the last one to come out. When she saw me, she started to head to the other direction.

"Rosalie," I called out after her.

She ignored me and walked faster.

A part of me wanted to give up; but no…I have to apologize. For once…I have to do something good.

I stopped walking and sighed. "Rosalie, just please…talk to me." My voice faltered.

To my surprise, she stopped and slowly turned around. A small smile escaped my lips.

"If you're just going to humiliate me again, just do it." Her eyes were scorching. Tears were threatening to escape.

Rosalie looked so frail…I closed in on the gap between the two of us. "I just…I want to apologize for what I did yesterday."

She bit her lower lip and looked like she was deliberating something. "You were right; we're not friends just because you saved me twice. You don't have to apologize," she finally spoke. "I'm such a fool for thinking that we're close enough." She let out a weak smile and then turned her back on me and walked away.

"Rosalie!" I called after her again, but to no avail this time.

_Crap_, I sighed and raised my hands in frustration. This sucks. "Rosalie!" I called out once again and started to run after her. "Please!"

To my delight, she turned around to face me. "I've already forgiven you. So don't follow me anymore."

"But…"

The school bell indicating lunch period rang and the halls started to get crowded. Here I am, standing three feet away from Rosalie, and I couldn't think of anything to say. Dumbfounded…that's what I was. As the crowd started to get thick, she smiled weakly and then disappeared through the crowd of students.

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**You know what to do. :)  
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	5. Stuck With Each Other

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**Heya! It's been a long time since I last updated, and I'm sorry for that. I must admit, I've had the worst writer's block I've ever had…it took me some time before I finally had something to write for this story. Thankfully, things are flowing quickly right into place now, and I'm back in the zone. I think I might have lost some of my readers because I haven't updated for quite some time now, but I do hope there are still some of you out there who will read and review this 'come back' chapter, if that's what I may call this. And I don't have a clue why I chose this title for this chapter…I just can't get it out of my head. On to the story…**

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**5: Stuck with Each Other**

Three days passed and Rosalie Hale still isn't talking to me. I couldn't blame her; it's all my fault. Me and my stupid temper. But I'm not giving up…she could be the start of my changing. Yeah, that's it. She'll be the beginning of the new Emmett McCarty.

"Rosalie," I whispered.

Still no answer.

I tore off a page from my notebook and wrote down something on it before tossing it to her, all the while making sure that the teacher won't see me.

She sighed and unfolded the paper. Her brows creased as she wrote back.

_Stop bugging me_

I crumpled the paper and hid it in my bag before looking up at her again. "Please talk to me."

"We can never be friends, we're different," she whispered.

"Can the two of you share what you're talking about with the class?" The teacher looked at me and Rosalie sternly.

This teacher is starting to get on my nerves, but before I could speak up, Rosalie stood up.

"We were talking about Romeo and Juliet."

The teacher folded his arms. "Oh really? What about that?"

"Emmett was telling me how cruel Rosaline's ending was." Rosalie looked and sounded like she was telling the truth; and here I thought she would twitch or stutter whenever she had to say a lie. She didn't look the type who could tell a lie and get away with it. Talk about being smooth.

"What's sad about her ending, Mr. McCarty?" the teacher challenged.

I shot Rosalie a doubtful glance before I stood up and tried to think of everything I know about Romeo and Juliet. "You see, Juliet wasn't Romeo's first love; it was Rosaline." I cleared my throat and looked around the room. Every student's gaze was locked on me; either they were too shocked that Rosalie and I were 'talking about Romeo and Juliet' or the fact that I _know_ something about Romeo and Juliet. "Romeo adored Rosaline so much but fell instantly with Juliet." Small sweat drops started to form on my forehead.

Rosalie stood up again. "His point is… love is very uncertain. The persons who we think are meant for us are just really instruments to find the ones destined for us."

It took a while for the teacher to understand what Rosalie said, but it was as clear as water to me.

"Very well then, that's a good point," he finally said and then turned his gaze to the whole class. "Write a reaction paper about what Miss Hale said. That's all."

With that, all the students shouldered their bags and walked out of the room. I quickly went out of the room to catch up with the blonde girl who had been evading me for almost a week now.

"Rosalie," I grabbed her arm. "Thanks for the whole Romeo and Juliet thing."

She fought back a smile.

"Does that mean you're talking to me again?" I asked hopefully.

"Only if it's important," she replied.

Well, that's something. I grinned and watched her as she walked away from me.

-----

All the senior students were gathered at the small hall room right after lunch break. I wasn't planning on going, but Edward and Bella dragged me. Meetings like this only made my head ache. But when I saw a familiar blonde, it was like my legs had a life of its own – I walked into the hall room. I took a seat beside Edward and folded my arms across my chest just to look like I'm not interested.

Right then, a blonde guy came up to Rosalie – her brother – and whispered something to her, which made her smile like an adorable little girl.

That smile…it almost made me melt. Oh, shit. Did I just say 'melt'? Since when did I use that kind of sappy crap? Edward must've influenced me or something.

"Dude, you look like a fool," Edward muttered.

I cocked my head to the side and looked quizzically at Edward.

Edward chuckled and shook his head. "You're staring at Hale."

"I am?" _Stupid,_ I told myself. I regained composure and frowned. "No, I'm not."

Edward shook his head once again. "Whatever. Anyway, I heard you and Victoria got back together."

My eyes were wide with shock…well, more like horror. "Where the hell did you hear that?"

It was Alice who answered now. "She kind of announced it to everyone who gives a damn, which is _everyone_ in this school."

Now that's just great. First my mom and now I have to deal with that crazy redhead too. What have I done to make all the deities punish me like this? And as if someone from up above read my mind, my phone buzzed inside my back pocket. It fished it out and saw Mom's number on the screen, which is the last thing I wanted right now. I turned off my phone and pretended to listen to the Principal about the upcoming events in the school.

After what seemed like forever, Principal Turner finally stopped talking and told us that everyone may go, except for me. _Great._

"Mr. McCarty," he greeted as I walked up to him.

I gave him a slight nod.

"Instead of cleaning the school every morning, I'll have you transferred to the Tutor Center."

No way. "I'd rather clean the halls."

The principal smiled, as if mocking me, and then patted my shoulder. "Your mom called me and asked me to change your punishment."

"My…mom?"

Principal Turner nodded and then looked at his wristwatch. "Now, you should go to the Tutor Center. The head student is waiting for you there." With that, he gave me a slight nod and then left the room.

_Damn_, I cursed under my breath. Why does it always have to be me? And why on earth did mom ask Turner to change my punishment? My life sucks so much; I might as well just try to stop complaining and just live with it. I shouldered my bag and started to ask students where the Tutor thingy is because frankly, I didn't even know that there was such a thing in this school.

Thankfully, a nice sophomore gladly led me to the Center and smiled nervously when I patted her shoulder to show my gratitude. As I expected, the Tutor Center was very much like how I pictured it – full of dorks.

"Hey, where's the head student here?" I asked the first dork I set my gaze on - Dork Number One.

He chuckled nervously at the sight of me; I bet he didn't even think that a jock like me would enter his kingdom. "Sh…she's…follow me."

I had to stifle a laugh as I followed Dork Number One. A few other dorks looked at me like I'm a piece of meat in a veggie salad. We ended up in a small cubicle – almost the size of a broom closet – and the dork knocked on the door.

"Rosalie, someone's here to see you."

Rosalie's the head student? Wow. Talk about fate or something. I suddenly felt like this whole Tutor thing would be good for me.

The door opened and there I saw Rosalie, her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, and I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't expect to see me here. She nodded slightly towards Dork Number One signaling that it was time for him to leave the two of us alone.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a low voice as she closed the door behind her.

I grinned sheepishly; the look on her face was just adorable. "Principal sent me here."

She bit her lip and looked down. "You're the one he told me about?"

"Guess so," I shrugged.

Rosalie sighed and was silent for a couple of moments before she finally looked back at me. She led me to the front desk of the Tutor Center and took the paper on the top of the stack of files there. "Here's your assignment," she said as she handed me the paper.

There was a name on it, and by the looks of it, I'm gonna be dealing with a kid. "Forks High entertains kids?"

Rosalie nodded. "We accept children from other schools."

"Oh," was all I could say. I checked the paper again and read it over and over again. The kid's name was John Barnes – a fifth grader – who needs help in Math. Good; I'm good at Math, so I won't need to study or something for this thing.

"You'll be here with him every Saturday for two months," Rosalie said. "You should be here 9AM sharp."

I almost gagged to death. Now my weekends are affected. Jim Smith is so lucky, he wasn't the one who got punished for the brawl we had because of Newton. But on the upside, I get to spend some time with Rosalie. "Are you here every Saturday?"

Rosalie nodded and then looked away, as if trying to avoid my gaze.

I cleared my throat and looked around as well. Right then, her brother came into the room with an unhappy look on his face.

"We have to go," he told her with a low voice.

Rosalie nodded and turned to look at me. "Don't forget," she reminded. With that, she went back to her small cubicle and took her stuff and then followed her brother to the parking lot.

There was something about that girl that made me feel something I couldn't explain; there was too much mystery surrounding her, and I was stoked to find out everything about her. That's when I decided not to sleep at Edward's tonight. I knew just the right place where I could spend the night.

-----

"Thanks for letting me stay here, Bells." I dropped my bag on the couch and looked around the living room. Some changes were made since I last came here, though I couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Bella shrugged. "Just don't make any noise if you don't want your Mom to find out that you're here."

I nodded and took out my PSP from my bag. "Where're Chief and Alice?"

"Dad's busy with a case; he won't come home tonight. Alice went out to run some errands." Bella sat beside me and fished out her cell phone from her pocket to text Edward.

We spent the next 20 minutes in silence until Alice barged in with two huge bags – one was filled with grocery stuff while the other one was filled with girl stuff.

"Oh, hey Emmett," she greeted when she saw me.

I raised my hand and waived at her without even looking away from my PSP; I was too wrapped up with the game I was playing, while I heard Bella and Alice head to the kitchen.

"Guess who I ran into at the store," I heard Alice say, but she didn't even wait for Bella to reply. "Rosalie."

The sound of the blonde's name made me look up at Alice. "Rosalie?"

"Yeah," she mused. "I asked her to come to dinner and bring her brother as well."

Bella smiled and gave Alice a pat on her shoulder. "Nice job, Al."

Alice smiled her all-too-confident smile and busied herself with preparing the dinner, while I couldn't concentrate on the game I was playing anymore. Rosalie was coming to dinner here tonight…the same night I decided to sleep here at Bella's house. Is it really coincidence that we've always ended up with each other or what?

-----

I've been waiting for almost an hour now. It's already 7, and there was still no sign of the Hale siblings. Alice told me that Rosalie promised they'd be here by 7. What the heck is happening to me? I've never felt like this when somebody was late before.

A slight knock on the front door made me snap my head up. Bella came down the stairs just in time to open the door.

"Hey neighbors," Bella greeted with her friendly tone as she ushered the siblings into the house.

Rosalie and her brother came in and were somewhat surprised to see me here at the living room. Bella told them that dinner was almost ready, and they could wait at the living room in the mean time.

Rosalie sat down at the chair across me at looked around, while I pretended to be busy with my PSP, though I was glancing towards her every now and then. Her brother, on the other hand, looked at the photos plastered on the bulletin board beside the bookshelf. I was with Bella and Alice in most of those photos.

"So you're close with the Swans…" the blond said, more like a statement.

I removed my gaze from my PSP and shrugged. "Yeah. We've known each other since we were kids."

He shrugged and turned to face me. "I'm Jasper." He held out a hand for me to shake, which I courteously shook.

"Guys, dinner's ready," Alice called out from the kitchen.

Rosalie quietly stood up and headed towards where Alice and Bella were, while Jasper was right behind her in a matter of seconds. I turned off my PSP and followed them as well.

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**I have a few questions for you guys…**

**1) Do you like where the story is headed? If no, what would you want me to do?**

**2) Am I doing things (for Rose and Em) too fast?**

**3) What do you think about this chapter?**

**Thanks a bunch to those who will review. (:**


	6. What If

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**Thanks to ****Sparkleyangel****, ****teamEMandRO****, and ****tdiharter**** for the reviews. I'm glad there're still some people who read this one. And thanks to those who read this but didn't leave a review. Anyway, I hope you guys will like this chapter. (:**

**6: What If**

When I first saw Rosalie Hale, I thought she was just like a typical dork; I even remember mocking her on her first day in school. What I didn't expect was how things led me to her, as if it was meant or something (which is kind of Edward's thing). I never expected that I'd be drawn to her mysterious personality and be stoked to know more about her and-…

"Emmett!" Bella snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Hello?"

I blinked a couple of times and looked around the table; everyone was looking at me. "I…uh…"

"What's with you?" Alice took a bite from her pasta.

"I…" Rosalie looked like she was trying to stifle a smile. I cleared my throat. "I was wondering how Rosalie became the head student at the Tutor Center."

Alice looked at Rosalie and gave her a smile. "Wow," she mused.

Rosalie returned the smile and looked down on her plate; it was as if she didn't want everyone to stare at her. "Jasper recommended me to the Principal."

"She deserves it," Jasper said. "She was the brightest student back in our previous school."

Right then, I saw an all-too-familiar look in Alice's eyes as she looked at Jasper.

"How did you know she works at the Tutor Center?" Bella asked.

I chuckled. "It's my new punishment."

Bella shook her head; it was nothing new for her. Well at least she doesn't scream at me whenever I tell her that I did something again, unlike my mom.

The rest of the dinner was spent talking mostly about Alice and Bella's childhood here in Forks, and whenever Alice asked the Hale siblings about their childhood, Jasper always changed the topic. Private much?

Before Rosalie left, Alice asked her if she could help her with another project, and Rosalie agreed and said that she will come over tomorrow after school to help Alice, which made my heart skip.

What the heck is happening to me?

-----

Wednesday… I hate Wednesdays. I simply hate it because it's flat bent in the middle of the week, so I still have two awful long days to go before weekends could greet me.

But this Wednesday seems to be the best Wednesday yet in my entire life. Rosalie's going to Bella's tonight. She'll probably sleep there for Alice's project – and I sure will sleep at Bella's as well. Another reason why this is the best Wednesday is because I'm going to file an emancipation request at the City Hall today. I've been told by Tyler Crowley, who is divorced from his parents as well, that it's kind of a long process, but it's worth the wait.

I told Bella I won't be going to school today, but I had to borrow her truck. I rounded at the next corner and parked smoothly near the City Hall. I locked the car and jogged up to the front door.

After a couple of hours – filing a Petition for Emancipation and talking to a court appointed lawyer – I walked out of the City Hall with a huge grin on my face and the emancipation file on my hand. The only thing left to do is to make my parents sign it. Though I don't want to see my mom, I have to. It's the only way to get out from this miserable life I have.

As I parked Bella's truck in her driveway, I saw Dad's car on ours. _Great_, I thought, so I won't have to deal with Mom alone. I got out of the truck and walked straight ahead to our house. I didn't even bother to knock; I just walked right in. It's almost been a week since I last stayed here, and there were a few changes made. The curtains were new, and there was a new aquarium in our living room filled with colorful fishes.

"Who's there?" I heard my Mom call out.

She then emerged from the kitchen a couple of seconds later wearing her favorite apron. She looked like she saw a ghost.

I gave her a slight nod and tossed my bag to the couch. "Hey, I have something for you," I said and took out the file from my bag.

"Where have you been? I've been calling your friends-"

"Mom, stop." I couldn't take this crap again. "Has it ever occurred to you that I don't want you to find me?"

My Mom was obviously at a loss for words. She simply stood there by the door frame. I walked towards her and handed her the emancipation file. It took her much longer than I thought to react. She stared at the file for almost a minute before she looked at me with wide eyes.

She shook her head. "I'm not going to sign this."

What on freaking Earth…?

"Honey!" she called out.

Within a few seconds, Dad was jogging down the stairs. He, too, looked surprised when he saw me. He patted my shoulder and smiled from ear to ear. At least he was happy to see me, unlike my Mom who looked like she saw a ghost when she saw me.

"Great to have you back, Em," Dad said.

But Mom, ever the kill joy, cleared her throat and gave Dad the emancipation file. The smile on Dad's face was replaced with a grimace.

"Emmett…" he mumbled. "Are you sure about this?"

I nodded, and Dad nodded as well in response. "I'll ask the court first if they can allow me to give you money every now and then before I sign this."

See? I knew my Dad wouldn't make a scene out of this. He knew me and he probably knew the reason why I wanted to get out of this house permanently.

Mom scoffed. "You're signing that?"

"It's what our son wants," Dad replied firmly with his authoritative tone.

"You're not going to sign that, Eugene."

"Ever since Danny died, all you've talked about is how useless I am and how it's better that I'm not a part of this family," I snapped. "And now that I'm actually doing something to pull myself out of this lame excuse for a family, you're suddenly like that?"

Mom flinched the moment I raised my voice on her, but she still focused her eyes on mine, which made my blood boil more.

"Whenever I'm home, you do everything you could to get me out. You don't even f*cking care about how I feel anymore. And then you get all 'motherly' when I left this house? What the hell Mom? You are going to sign that whether you want it or not because I want out. I can't stand you anymore."

"Emmett." Dad grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him. "That's enough. I'll talk to your Mom. Why don't you eat in the mean time? There's roast in the fridge and-"

I shook my head and heaved a sigh. "Sorry Dad. I'm not staying here." I grabbed my bag from the couch.

"Where are you going then?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"I'll be over at Bella's. But don't you dare go there, Mom," I warned. In all honesty, I don't want to see my mother's face; the anger and hatred I felt was just too intense. I jogged up to my room and took a few clothes and then left our house.

-----

"I miss you," I murmured as I stared at Danny's tombstone. "Life's not that good without you."

It's been two hours now since I fought – yet again – with my Mom. And all I've been able to do since then is sulk here in front of my brother's tombstone with an unlit cigarette on one hand. Seriously, I wanted to smoke, but I couldn't, partly because I am in front of my brother, but more because Rosalie is coming over to Bella's tonight and I don't want to smell like smoke in front of her. _Damn_, what did that blond do to me?

I scratched the back of my head as I tried to think of something to tell my brother. "I met this blonde girl – she's our new neighbor."

The wind grew stronger; I shoved my hands into my pocket. "She's kind of…different."

Now why am I telling this to my brother? I dunno. But there's one thing I'm sure of: Rosalie did something to me. What, I do not know; I still have to find out. With that, I said goodbye to my brother and put the bouquet of daisies I bought on the vase right beside my brother's tombstone. After a couple of minutes of silence, I walked away and decided to go back to Bella's before it gets dark.

-----

As I walked over to Bella's front porch, I saw a blonde through the front window. The fact that Rosalie was already there brought a smile on my lips. But the smile was completely erased when I heard a familiar voice. I turned around and saw Mom standing by the porch of our house.

Haven't I told her not to talk to me or something? I looked at her for a couple of seconds and then shook my head before I entered Bella's house.

"Hey Em," Alice greeted.

Alice and Rosalie were on the floor, busy with the project, while I could hear Bella at the kitchen, probably making dinner. I went to the living room and sat down right next to Rosalie, and her scent caught me off-guard. She smelled of Lilacs and Violets. I had to blink a couple of times to be able to get back to reality.

"Why weren't you at school today?" Rosalie asked casually.

I smiled. I thought she said we would only talk if it's important. Either the reason for my absence was important or she was breaking the rule. "I had to run some errands."

"And by errands he means dealing with his Mom," Alice chipped in. Ah, Alice, ever the one to talk and spill all the details.

Rosalie seemed to be surprised by what Alice said. She looked at me. Her eyes were scorching, it almost burned me on the spot, but it was also glistening. The lighting in the room made it seem like her eyes were a shade of violet. There was something in the look in her eyes that made it seem like she was searching my soul.

I couldn't help but stare back at her. It was the first time I noticed how beautiful she was. First, there was her beautiful pair of eyes. And then her nose, straight and perfect, and her lips, slightly curved up at each end, was full and pinkish in its own natural way. Her cheeks were rosy; it complemented her ivory skin perfectly.

Who knew there was beauty beneath all the dorky appearance? You just have to look deeper.

I bet Alice is staring at me now, but I don't care. It was then when I realized why Rosalie was able to bug the hell out of me.

I like her.

"You're staring at me," Rosalie said.

I watched as her lips moved gracefully as she spoke. Her voice…it was like music to my ears. I know I sound like some sappy hopeless romantic right now, but I don't care. Now I know why Edward feels like some poet whenever he's with Bella.

And then Alice giggled. "Emmett, stop it. Rosalie's blushing!"

I bit my lip and looked down. What the heck did I just do? Normally, I'd be this smooth guy whenever I'm with the girls. But heck, there's something about Rosalie that makes _me_ blush. Oh crap. I think I'm blushing right now. In front of Rosalie and Alice.

"I'm gonna go check if dinner's ready." I stood up and scratched the back of my head. I had to do something and break away from that awkward scene.

I walked over to the kitchen where Bella was still busy making pasta, which was the only thing she could cook well.

"Sounds like you're after Rosalie," Bella said as she took a huge bowl from the cabinet. She then turned to look at me. "Don't, Emmett."

I was taken aback. "What?"

Bella shook her head. "I know what you do with women. And I tell you, Em, Rosalie is not like all the other girls you've been with. You're just gonna break her heart."

"Bells, I was just staring at her." I sat on the kitchen stool. Though I hate to admit it, I do feel like I something bad would happen once I get to know Rosalie more.

What if I fall in love with her?

What if she falls in love with me?

What if Bella's right?

What if…I end up breaking Rosalie's heart?

What if… I hate 'what ifs…'

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**So...did you like it? :)**


	7. All These Things

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**I got 6 reviews for the previous chapter. Yay! That's kind of enough for me to keep updating. So thanks to those who reviewed! You know who you are; you made my day. :))**

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**7: All These Things**

"_I know what you do with women. And I tell you, Em, Rosalie is not like all the other girls you've been with. You're just gonna break her heart."_

Bella's words were stuck in my mind just like the way the lyrics of a song gets stuck in someone's head. What ticked me off the most is the fact that Rosalie is indeed unlike the other girls I've been with, and I fear the possibility that I might fall for her.

Right after dinner, I decided to go outside and spend some time at Bella's backyard. I lay on the grass and just stared at the starry sky. Helping Alice and Rosalie with that project will just make me stare and watch and think of Rosalie again.

"What's the problem?"

I looked up, only to see Rosalie looking right at me with a curious look on her innocent face.

I looked back at the sky and sighed. "I…"

"Is it about your mother?" she asked. She sat down beside me.

I scoffed and changed the subject. "Are you done with Alice's project?"

Rosalie nodded. "It's done."

I nodded and bit my lip. I couldn't think of anything to say. We were silent for a couple of minutes before Rosalie finally spoke.

"I'm not meaning to pry…but what's wrong with you and your mother?" She fiddled with the button of her sweater. She obviously felt uncomfortable as she asked that question.

I sighed and looked at the sky once again. "Mom's been a pain in my ass since my brother died."

Rosalie fell silent once again. I wonder what's on her mind.

"Thanks," I suddenly said.

She looked at me quizzically. I couldn't help but feel weak when I saw her face; we were only a foot apart, and her face was glowing in the moonlight. The more I look at her, the more my heart beats in an odd way.

"For what?" she asked.

I smiled nervously. "For giving me a second chance."

Rosalie smiled in return. She looked like an angel at that exact moment. There was something about her smile that made my heart skip a beat…or something like that. What the hell is happening to me? Is this the thing they call…?

No…it can't be.

"I think it's worth giving a try. Getting to know you, I mean." She fiddled with the buttons of her sweater once again. She was smiling.

"You look good when you're smiling," I said as I sat up. It was true. If there's one thing I could do my entire life, it would be to make her smile.

Rosalie looked down on the grass as the smile on her lips vanished. Was there something wrong with what I said?

"Rosalie, Bella's room is ready!" Alice came out with a huge excited smile on her face.

With that, Rosalie stood up and then smoothed her skirt. "I'll go upstairs."

I nodded and stood up as well. "Good night."

A small smile escaped Rosalie's lips. "Good night," she replied. And then she went inside.

I spent the rest of the night thinking how Rosalie – the weird dorky girl – seemed to have planted something in me. I didn't care about her then, but now all I'm thinking about is her. I mean, what the hell? No one has ever made me feel this way before. And now I feel like a fool, though I don't know why.

-----

Most of the week passed by quickly; it was Saturday in no time. My first day as a tutor. I got up early and left Bella's house around 8 in the morning (I've been staying at Bella's for three days now).

The school was completely different today, probably because there are only a few students there, unlike during the weekdays where it's full of bustling students. I went inside through the front entrance and went straight ahead to the Tutor Center. Rosalie was already there, as well as her brother and the other dorks who were also working as tutors.

"You're here early," Rosalie greeted with a small smile.

I grinned. "Yeah; I'm kinda excited."

Rosalie chuckled, while the other dorks still looked at me like I'm an outcast. Well, I sure am an outcast here in a room full of nerds. I glared at them, and they instantly froze in terror. Ha!

After Rosalie lectured me on how to handle kids - for fear that I might lose temper and do something bad - she gave me the books I'll be using to help the kid I'm supposed to teach. And after half an hour, the kids started to arrive one by one. I waited patiently for the kid named John Barnes.

"Hey, are you Emmett?" a kid approached.

I nodded. "You must be John."

He grinned from ear to ear. I brought him over to the table assigned to us, which was right next to Rosalie's table. She was now busy teaching a four year old girl how to read. She looked so patient and caring and…

Crap. I'm doing this stupid dreamy thing again.

I sighed and started my session with John. To my annoyance, he was hard to deal with. He kept on insisting to play instead of listening to me. If he wasn't a kid, he'd be in the clinic now. I kept my cool and managed to go through an hour without hitting or shouting at him.

"Okay guys, let's all take a break," Rosalie announced.

I finally let John do what he wants. I stood up and went to Rosalie's table. "How do you do it?" I asked.

Rosalie's brows creased. "Do what?"

"This…you're so good with that kid a while ago."

Rosalie smiled and blushed. Oh how I love it when she blushes. "I just go with them. You get what I mean?"

I just nodded even though I really didn't get what she meant. And out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie's brother, Jasper. He was looking at me and Rosalie with watchful eyes. Is there something wrong?

The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly; I got through this tutoring thing without shouting at John Barnes. But I do hope he'd act more responsible during our sessions, or else I _might_ do something with him. I stayed for a couple of hours at the Center and helped Rosalie clean up. But I spent most of the time just watching her every move.

-----

When I got back to Bella's house, I was surprised to see Abby there, playing with Alice's nail polishes.

"Abby!" I greeted as I tossed my bag to the couch.

Abby looked up and grinned from ear to ear when she saw me. "Emmett!"

She ran towards me and I picked her up. "How's my little angel?"

"It's boring without you." Her lips pouted.

Alice and Bella both said 'aw' and chuckled. I was about to laugh when my phone buzzed. I quickly fished it out of my pockets and flipped open my phone without checking who the text was from.

_Miss u,_ the text message read.

It was from…drum roll…Victoria. Ugh. I tossed my cell phone to Alice so she could read the message. I laughed when Alice made a face and muttered something about Victoria being a slut.

"What's a slut?" Abby asked.

My eyes widened. I somehow forgot that I was still carrying Abby. And now she knows the word slut. I glared at Alice for that.

"It's something you are not going to be when you grow up," Bella said as she patted Abby's head.

Whew, quick save. I put Abby down and sat down between Bella and Alice. As soon as I hit the couch, Alice started asking me questions about the tutoring and made me tell her everything that happened there, though I didn't tell her anything about me watching Rosalie secretly. I fell asleep half an hour after I told Alice about the tutoring stuff.

-----

I woke up to the sound of music. I groaned softly and sat up. Abby was sleeping on the other couch, while Alice and Bella were nowhere in sight. As I sat there, thinking of what to do, I couldn't help but listen to the song. It was an acoustic; not my type of music, but it somehow caught my attention. I walked over to the iPod speaker and checked the title of the song. All These Things, by Stephen Speaks. Isn't he the guy who sang Passenger Seat?

"Whatever," I mumbled. I roamed around the house until I saw a note on the kitchen counter.

_Went out. Be back in a couple of hours. We'll bring home dinner._

It was written in Alice's fancy handwriting. I went back to the living room and grabbed all of Abby's toys and put it in her bag. I gently picked her up from the couch and carried her all the way to our house. To my surprise, Mom opened the door. I just ignored her and went straight ahead to Abby's room and gently put her on her bed. As I jogged down the stairs, I didn't bother to look at Mom, but I could tell that she was looking at me.

As I walked out of our house, I saw Rosalie sitting at their porch, reading a book. As usual, she was wearing a dress and a sweater. I could say that I'm already used to the way she dresses. I walked over to her without even thinking.

"Hey," I greeted.

Rosalie looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. "Hi."

That smile of hers…it always makes me feel weird in a good way. I sat down beside her and sighed. "What are you doing out here?"

"I always watch the sun set." She smiled. "Look, it's about time." She motioned for me to look up at the sky.

It's not my first time to watch a sunset, but it's not my favorite thing to do either. But there's something about the way Rosalie said it that made me feel excited to see it. We spent the next five minutes in silence as we both watched the sunset.

I glanced towards Rosalie and I couldn't help but feel awed. She looked so beautiful as she looked up at the sky. Her eyes were glistening. Her hair looked more golden than ever. And her smile…it was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.

"You look beautiful," I blurted out.

She looked at me with surprise in her eyes and then she chuckled warily. "You're kidding."

The look on her face changed when she realized I wasn't kidding. My lips formed into a small smile as she looked down and blushed. The acoustic song playing earlier when I woke up suddenly popped in my mind.

_Maybe it's her face, no makeup at all  
As she tells me she's not beautiful  
Maybe it's her hair, soft, golden and wind blown  
Maybe it's her smell, the lotion she wears  
__Maybe it's her eyes gently searching my soul  
You know it could be all these things  
But I think mostly it is her smile  
Cause I love to see her smile back at me  
And I know she is happy_

I couldn't help but smile.

And right then, I knew.

I was hit by the love bug.

Damn.

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**A little sneak peek for the next chapter: the death of Emmett's brother will finally be revealed.**

**Hmm..I honestly don't think that this chapter is good. What do you think? The next chapter will be better, I promise.**

Also, I used some lines of the song All These Things (Stephen Speaks). Do you know that song? If you don't, then try to listen to it; it's good (well at least in my opinion). Anyway, please review. :))


	8. Now You Know

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**Thanks for your reviews guys. I was like, 'Wow', when most of you said that you liked the previous chapter. It got me so excited; I just had to post this chapter as fast as I could. And…this story already has 42 reviews. Hmm…if this one reaches 75 reviews, I'd probably make a special chapter *hint hint*. :D Lol. Anyway, on to the story…**

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_I glanced towards Rosalie and I couldn't help but feel awed. She looked so beautiful as she looked up at the sky. Her eyes were glistening. Her hair looked more golden than ever. And her smile…it was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen._

"You look beautiful,"_ I blurted out._

_She looked at me with surprise in her eyes and then she chuckled reluctantly. _"You're kidding."

_The look on her face changed when she realized I wasn't kidding. My lips formed into a small smile as she looked down and blushed. The song playing earlier when I woke up suddenly popped in my mind._

_I couldn't help but smile. And right then, I knew. I was hit by the love bug. Damn._

**8: Now You Know**

No. It can't be. It couldn't be _love_. I'm just starting to know her. Maybe it's not _love_. Yeah; _love_ is a big word. _Like _is much more appropriate…I think. Yeah…that's it. I _like_ Rosalie Hale. I chuckled softly. I sounded like I'm in denial.

"Emmett?" Rosalie's voice broke me from my thoughts.

I looked at her; she was looking at me expectantly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Something wrong's happening to me. I feel like I need to tell her everything I've been thinking about lately. There was something about her that made me feel like I can tell her everything without holding back.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at her once again, this time with mixed emotions. "Can I tell you something?"

Rosalie nodded her head without even blinking. It was as if she knew I was going to ask her that.

I let out a small smile; probably the weakest and lamest smile I ever did. "I had a big brother – Danny. He died a couple of years ago. Mom blamed me for his death. And here's the thing…I am somehow responsible for his death."

There was empathy in Rosalie's eyes; the same kind of empathy I see in Danny's eyes. It almost made my heart break.

"Danny and I went to a party and we got drunk. Later that night, I insisted on driving the car. I didn't even have a damn license back then, but Danny allowed me to drive. It was raining hard that night. I couldn't see through the windshield because my sight was somewhat blurred and the fact that it was raining hard wasn't of any help."

Unwanted tears were threatening to escape my eyes. I looked down; I didn't want Rosalie to see me like this. "I…I lost control of the car and we skidded off the damn road."

I managed to fight back the tears and then looked away. Heck, I haven't felt like this in a long time.

"Danny's injuries were much worse than mine, but he was still alive when the ambulance came. We even got to the hospital. We were both on the emergency room; our stretchers side by side. You know what he told me? He said, 'Don't worry; it's not your fault. Everything's gonna be fine. You'll survive this'. And then his heart stopped. Those were his final words."

I could still remember it like it was just yesterday. I could still remember the look on Danny's eyes when he told me that I'll survive. I could still remember the cold flat line sound of Danny's heart rate monitor. God knows how much it tore me apart when I saw the light in Danny's eyes fade away.

The thing that broke me the most was the fact that Danny was the one who died. He was the better son. He was the good son and I'm the ruffian. But I was the one God chose to save. "I used to hate God for not letting me die instead of Danny," I mumbled.

Rosalie reached for my hand and squeezed it gently. "God gave you a second chance. Maybe He still has plans for you."

The way she said those words almost made me feel like I have an important mission or whatever you want to call it.

Damn it; I haven't felt this way for a long time. I've managed to lock up all these feelings away a long time ago…and now I'm telling it to a woman I barely know but I'm drawn to.

"It must be hard – telling me all these things," she said, almost a whisper.

It was already dark now. I looked up at the sky; there were so many stars. It somehow lifted my mood up. "You're the only person I've talked to about this," I said.

Rosalie's eyes widened a bit. "Really?"

I nodded. "After the accident, the doctors made me go to a shrink…but I didn't tell him anything."

Rosalie chuckled softly. "I can imagine the disappointed look on your shrink's face then."

"Yeah; he was frowning in an odd way." I laughed.

For the next three minutes, Rosalie and I just sat beside each other without saying a word, and I somehow liked the silence between us. It made me feel like we could understand each other or something without saying anything. And then I realized she was still holding my hand.

That's it; that's what made me feel comfortable. Her touch. Now I couldn't deny it; I do feel something for Rosalie. Do I like her? Yes. Do I _love_ her? I don't know. But I feel like I do. Truth be told, I haven't experienced how to fall in love and how it feels to be in love yet. I've only heard it from Alice and Bella whenever they talk about it. So right now I'm not sure of what I'm feeling for Rosalie. If this is the thing they call love…I'd do anything for it to never stop.

"Have you ever been in love?" I asked out of the blue.

Rosalie looked at me in an odd way; I could tell by the look on her face that she hasn't yet. "No."

The thought that I could be her first love made me grin from ear to ear.

"Why do you ask?" She sounded reluctant.

I looked at her and then looked at my hand, which she was still holding. She must've followed my eyes; she reluctantly let go of my hand and blushed. Man, I love it when she blushes. Right then, Bella's truck passed right in front of us. A moment later, Alice jumped out of the truck and waved towards us.

"Hey guys!" Alice gushed. "We brought pizza. Come on!"

I stood up and helped Rosalie get up. "Are you gonna come?"

Rosalie shrugged. "I'll go get my brother first."

I grinned and patted her shoulder before I ran across the street and went inside Bella's. "Where'd you go?" I asked.

"We checked out some dresses for the prom next week." Alice sounded so excited, while Bella had a bored look on her face; she wasn't into shopping and girly stuff.

Alice opened the pizza boxes. "Speaking of prom, who are you gonna take there?"

I shrugged. Now normally, I would tell a random name and ask the chick later; they always say yes whenever I ask them out or to a dance, so I didn't really had a hard time looking for dates then. But now, the only name stuck in my mind is Rosalie.

"What about you?" I changed the topic. "Who are you gonna bring?"

Bella smiled. "Edward."

"Nobody's asked me yet." Alice shrugged. Boys were always too shy or nervous to ask her out.

Right then, someone knocked on the door. I knew it was Rosalie, so I jogged to the living room and opened it. Rosalie smiled when she saw me, while her brother simply nodded at me.

"Come in," I said with a huge grin on my face. I probably looked like a fool because of my grin.

We all went to the kitchen and had dinner together. Alice and Bella bought two pizza boxes. Jasper and I shared a box while the three girls had the other box to themselves. Alice babbled excitedly about the prom and even asked Rosalie if she was coming.

"I don't know," Rosalie answered shyly.

"Would you be my date to the prom?" I blurted out loud. Everyone looked surprise, especially Rosalie. I was surprised to hear myself ask that question too.

Rosalie looked around the room and then blushed when she realized that everyone was waiting for her answer. The last person she set her eyes on was me. And then she nodded.

I grinned and felt ecstatic. Just to let you know, I _never_ felt excited about prom. "That's great."

"Now I'm the only one who doesn't have a date." Alice pouted.

Jasper cleared his throat. "I don't have a date too."

Alice smiled and clapped her hands. "Then we'll go together to the prom!" She took a sip of Coke and then smiled again. "We could all go to the prom together. And Rosalie, I'll dress you up and do your hair and makeup!"

Bella shook her head and chuckled. "You're gonna scare Rosalie if you keep on clapping and smiling like that."

"I'm just so excited!" Alice gushed.

Jasper and I laughed in unison. I spent the next couple of hours just watching and listening as my friends talked and planned about prom. Most of the time, all I ever thought about was how Rosalie would look on prom night.

-----

I woke up to the sound of a person calling out my name. I groaned and covered my face with a pillow; I wasn't planning on waking up early today. It's Sunday and I'm planning on doing nothing but take some rest.

"Emmett." The person nudged me in my arm.

"Five more minutes, Bells."

The person laughed and that's when I realized it wasn't a female voice. "I'm not Bella."

I removed the pillow from my face and was embarrassed when I saw Charlie in front of me. Darn; I felt so embarrassed, I would've blushed. Thank god I managed to put on a straight face. "Oh, sorry Chief Swan."

Charlie chuckled. "It's okay. The girls are going out today. Aren't you coming with them?" he asked as he sat on the couch.

My eyes darted towards the wall clock just above the TV set. It was already 10 in the morning. I sat up to give Charlie some space and then shook my head. But Alice, ever the enthusiastic, jogged down the stairs and tried to pull me up from the couch despite the fact that she's almost half my size.

"Alice…" I groaned.

"We're going shopping and you're coming with us." She pulled my arm once again, this time with more effort.

Charlie chuckled.

"I don't wanna go," I protested.

Right then, Bella came down the stairs. "Rosalie's coming."

My mood suddenly went up the scale. I jumped out of the couch, grabbed my bag behind the couch, and ran upstairs to take a shower. I heard Charlie, Bella, and Alice laugh in unison. Half an hour later, I was dressed in faded jeans and a Nirvana shirt. Alice, Bella, and I went to the mall together and waited for Jasper, Rosalie, and Edward for another half an hour at the McDonald's there at the mall.

Before they started dress shopping, Alice made us boys go away. She didn't want us to see their prom dresses, which was kind of silly, in my opinion. But knowing Alice, I know she'll throw a fit if one of us boys goes shopping with them. Besides, Rosalie's dress would totally be a surprise, and I love that fact.

Anyway, Edward suggested that we should go find ourselves something to wear for prom. Thank goodness we're boys; finding something to wear for prom wasn't that hard for us. We were done hunting for prom wear within two hours. I called Alice right after we paid for our clothes, but they were still not done, so I took Edward and Jasper to the arcade.

We spent the next couple of hours bonding as we tried different games. Jasper even loosened up a bit around Edward and I, which I thought he would never do. Edward even managed to make him tell something about his past girlfriends. After almost two hours of playing at the arcade, Alice finally called and told us to meet them at the huge fountain at the first floor of the mall.

"Remind us never to go to the mall with you again," Edward said as we approached the girls.

Even from afar, I could already tell that Rosalie had fun. She was smiling and she just looked so radiant. And then my eyes landed on the shopping bags near them. "Are those all your stuff?"

Alice nodded and grinned. "Yep. And you boys are going to carry those."

"You've gotta be kidding me," I groaned. There were six huge shopping bags. What the heck did these girls buy? "We already have something to carry," I added. I lifted up my own bag of clothes. Jasper and Edward did the same.

"You're gonna carry our bags and that's final." Alice took Rosalie's hand and walked away. Bella was right behind them.

I groaned out loud as I went over and picked up two bags. Edward and Jasper each took two bags. Among the three of us, I was the one who complained to Alice all through out our walk towards the parking lot.

-----

It was already 4 in the afternoon when we got back home. I was about to take a nap when Bella told me that she and Rosalie accidentally swapped shopping bags and made me go over to Rosalie's to take her bag. I didn't complain at all.

Jasper opened the door a few seconds after I rang the door bell. Before I could even say a word, he called out Rosalie's name. Rosalie came down the stairs a couple of seconds later and went out to the porch.

"Bella said this bag's yours," I said as I handed her the shopping bag.

Rosalie looked inside the bag and then nodded. "Yeah; this is mine. I'll go get Bella's. Wait here."

She took the bag from me and went back inside her house. I sat on the bench on their porch and waited patiently.

While I was waiting for Rosalie to come out again, I couldn't help but look at my house. I saw Mom by the window, talking to Abby. I watched as Mom and Abby talked to each other and after a couple of minutes, Mom looked out the window and saw me. We kind of looked at each other for a couple seconds before I looked away when Rosalie came back with Bella's shopping bag.

"Here's Bella's stuff," she said with a smile.

I let out a small smile and then took the bag. When I didn't stand up from the couch after a few seconds, Rosalie sat beside me.

"Is there something wrong?" She sounded so curious and concerned.

I looked at my house once again, but the curtains were down this time. "I'm emancipating myself from my parents."

Rosalie gasped softly and then placed her hand on my shoulder. "I think that's not a good idea."

"Why?" I scoffed.

Rosalie looked down and started to fiddle with the buttons of the sweater she was wearing. "You should tell your mother how you feel about your brother's death."

I was somewhat shocked with what she said. She was the only one who told me that. "There's no point in doing that."

"There is. By telling your mother what you've been through since your brother's death, she'll realize the mistakes she did."

Rosalie has a point. But I know my mother. She will probably never understand that everything was just an accident and that Danny's death also tore me apart. Mom will never understand me.

"She'll learn to understand you," Rosalie said, as if reading my mind.

With that, I stood up and looked at Rosalie. Her eyes were glistening once again, but it was full of empathy. I couldn't help but stare at her for a while. I just stood there in front of her and looked deep into her eyes, and she was staring at me as well. The way she looked at me made me feel like she could see through me.

"I…I guess I should go," I faltered. My knees buckled as I looked at her beautiful face.

Rosalie stood up and looked like she was deliberating on doing something for a couple of seconds. And then she tip-toed to reach my cheek and planted a gentle kiss on it. To be honest, I was utterly astounded. But here's the thing: I liked how soft her lips was and how gentle she kissed me. Damn; it was only a kiss on the cheek and I already feel like this. What more if she kissed me on my lips?

"See you tomorrow," she said. She was blushing.

I wanted to touch her face and caress it, but a voice inside my head told me that it's not the right time. Instead, I nodded and smiled at her. "Yeah…see you tomorrow."

With that, Rosalie went back inside her house. As I walked back to Bella's house, I couldn't help but think of the same things I thought of last night. And now I'm sure. There's no doubt that I am in love with Rosalie Hale.

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**I have a link of the song All These Things in my profile, as well as a link of the song Written in the Stars (which is obviously this story's title). Check it out if you want.**

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	9. Out Of My League

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**Just like I do before the chapters start, I'd like to thank those who reviewed and those who read this fic and those who add this to their alert/favorite lists. I'm glad you like this story. :)**

**9: Out of My League**

"Emmett!" Alice yelled. "We're gonna be late!"

I hurriedly donned a pair of jeans. "I'm coming!"

Being in a house with two teenage girls isn't really that good. I had to wait for two hours before I finally had the chance to take a shower. And now they're making me rush when in fact they're the ones who should've hurried instead of taking their time in the shower.

"Emmett!" Bella yelled.

I put on a shirt as I jogged down the stairs and grabbed an apple from the fridge before I went out and got into Bella's truck. I spent the whole ride to the school listening to Alice's kind of music – pop. Thankfully, we got to the school on time; I didn't have to get a tardy slip.

My first class was English and the room was already full of students when I came in. Rosalie was there already and I couldn't help but smile. She looked cute in her knee length dress and sweater. But when I first saw her wearing that kind of stuff, I made fun of her. Now I find her cute. As the class went on, I found myself listening to the teacher, which is once in a blue moon. I guess Rosalie kind of inspired me to become an active student today.

Right after English, I had Math and History. Time passed by quickly; it was lunch in no time. I grabbed a chef salad and a slice of pizza and then went to our usual table. Alice and Bella were already there.

"Where's Edward?" I asked as I placed my tray on the table.

Bella shrugged. "He'll be here in a minute or two."

"Hey Forks High! As you all know, Prom is within a week. Make sure you already have dresses and dates," the head of the Dance Committee announced through the PA.

I was about to start eating my pizza when Victoria came to our table and sat beside me.

"Hey guys," she greeted with a fake smile.

Bella gave her a slight nod while Alice just ignored her. Bella and Alice sure didn't mind showing their irritation towards Victoria.

Victoria rolled her eyes and then started making circles with her finger on my shoulder. "Anyway, I was wondering if you want to go to prom with me."

"He already has a date," Alice snapped and then smiled when she saw Victoria scowl.

I nodded and then took a bite of pizza and pretty much ignored Victoria. Right then, Rosalie approached our table with a sweet smile on her face, only to be replaced by a grimace when she saw Victoria sitting beside me.

"Who could possibly be your date?" Victoria asked; her tone very much peeved.

When no one answered her, Victoria slammed her fist on the table and then glared at Rosalie. "Is it this girl?"

Now my temper was starting to tense up. Victoria doesn't have any right to raise her voice on Rosalie.

"Are you his date?" Victoria glared at Rosalie.

Rosalie looked down and nodded. It was obvious by the look on her face that she wanted to be out of this situation.

Before Victoria could say another word, I grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the chair. "Mind your own business."

Victoria pulled away from my grasp and sneered at me. I sat back down and started to think of reasons why I dated Victoria…and I couldn't think of one. I guess I just dated her for fun. And by fun, I mean…you know.

My back was turned on Victoria, so I couldn't really tell if she had already walked away. But knowing Victoria, I know she won't end something without making a scene. And I was right. She went over to Rosalie and grabbed Rosalie's glass of water and then poured it right into Rosalie's head.

"What the hell!" I yelled as I stood up.

Alice and Bella quickly stood up from their chairs and went to Rosalie. Alice wrapped her arm around Rosalie's shoulder. And Rosalie…she was trying to fight back her tears. Seeing her like that made my blood boil.

"Hey everyone! Look at this poor dork. Emmett's taking her to prom." Victoria said out loud.

Everyone inside the cafeteria was staring at Rosalie. Tears were rolling down Rosalie's cheeks now. Bella's jaw tensed as she stood in front of Rosalie so Victoria wouldn't be able to do something to Rosalie again. Students were whispering to one another now, most of them asking why I would take a girl like Rosalie to prom.

"You're wondering why he's taking her to prom?" Victoria smiled wickedly as she walked closer to Bella and Rosalie. "He's taking her to prom so he could make fun of her. Emmett's just toying with you, dear Rosalie."

"Stop it!" I boomed as I walked towards Victoria.

Victoria flinched but managed to smirk. "Why? You don't want her to know the truth?" She looked at Rosalie and smiled when she saw Rosalie crying.

Alice patted Rosalie's shoulder and whispered, "Don't cry. Emmett's going to handle her."

"I am taking Rosalie to prom because I _like_ her." I looked around the cafeteria to let everyone know that I am serious. I then walked towards Victoria and grabbed her arm tightly and looked deep into her eyes. "Don't you ever go near Rosalie again."

"Let go of me before you leave a mark on my arm." Victoria wasn't going to give up that easily.

I tightened my grasp on Victoria's arm to let her know that I am dead serious.

"Let go of her now, Em. That girl won't do something stupid again," Bella said flatly.

Victoria scoffed. "Oh yeah? What made you say so?"

Bella smirked. "You'd have to go through me and Alice first, queen bitch. You're doing this because you're insecure."

Victoria screamed in frustration and stormed out of the cafeteria. Most of the students were still whispering with one another as they looked at us.

"What the hell are you all looking at?" I looked at the students and glared at them.

For fear that I may do something to them, all the students went back to minding their own shit. I went towards Rosalie and wrapped my arms around her. She buried her face into my broad chest as she sobbed.

"I'll take her home," I told Alice.

Alice and Bella nodded. "Use my truck. We'll just take a ride with Edward later."

With that, I nodded and then ushered Rosalie to the parking lot. We spent the whole ride back to our neighborhood in silence. When we got to Rosalie's house, she was already calmed down. Rosalie invited me to come inside her house. Her mother wasn't home and Jasper was still at school, so it was just the two of us.

Rosalie sat on the couch and buried her face in her hands. I couldn't bear to see her cry so I wrapped my arm around her shoulder for comfort.

"Are you really just toying with me?" she asked as she tried to fight back her tears.

I sighed and caressed her cheek. "No. I like you. You…you're special."

Rosalie finally stopped crying as she rested her head on my shoulder. It must've felt like shit for her. What Victoria did was not entirely fun. "Nobody's gonna make fun of you again."

Rosalie took a deep breath and then looked at me. "How could you be so sure?"

I let out a small smile and took her hand. "I'll make sure no one hurts you." Then I kissed her hand.

After ten minutes or so, Rosalie fell asleep with her head rested on my shoulder. I was still holding her hand. Thinking of what happened at the cafeteria earlier made me think of how deep my feelings for Rosalie were. Having her here beside me made me feel like cloud nine. Fifteen minutes later, I fell asleep as well.

-----

Rosalie and I were asleep for a couple of hours. We woke up when Jasper came home furious. He was so mad at Victoria and hoped that he was there at the cafeteria when it all happened. Rosalie calmed him down by telling him that Bella, Alice, and I made Victoria stop. Fifteen minutes later, Alice and Bella came to Rosalie's house with a box of chocolates. Alice said it would make Rosalie feel better.

As the girls talked at the living room, Jasper asked me to go outside with him.

"Thank you for standing up for Rosalie," he said as he closed the door behind us.

I nodded. "It's nothing. What Victoria did was wrong."

"I don't like Rosalie crying." Jasper sat down on the bench and motioned for me to do the same. "I love my sister and I would do everything to protect her."

I couldn't think of anything to say. Though I don't want to admit it, I'm somewhat afraid of Jasper. He's so uptight and quiet that it makes me feel like he could be like a lion once he gets mad.

"Alice also said that you like my sister." The way he said it made me feel like he wasn't that happy about it. "There are many things you don't know about my sister, Emmett."

What was he talking about? Now my heart was beating madly. Jasper's right; I still don't know a lot of things about Rosalie but I like her already. But the thing is, I feel like I've already known Rosalie for all my life.

"Don't you ever hurt my sister," Jasper said. He was calm, but I couldn't help but be intimidated. And just to let you know, I never get intimidated…not until Jasper came. Before I could say a word, Jasper patted my arm and then went inside the house.

I heaved a deep breath and then went back inside the house as well. Rosalie was sitting on the couch in between Alice and Bella. A smile escaped my lips when I noticed that Alice was holding Rosalie's hand. I like how Alice makes Rosalie feel welcome.

"I'm going to dress you up tomorrow." Alice rested her head on Rosalie's shoulder. Rosalie was about to protest but Alice shushed her.

"We're going to show Forks High how beautiful you really are," Alice mused.

**-----**

Ever since Alice told Rosalie that she will dress Rosalie up for school, I couldn't help but get excited. I know Alice; she did a great job turning Bella into a girl. Yep; Bella was sort of boyish when we were kids. Edward should thank Alice for making Bella act and at least dress like a girl. Having said that, I honestly think Alice will make a pretty good job this time.

"When are they arriving here?" I asked.

Bella rolled her eyes. "For the fifth time, Emmett, I don't know."

I chuckled. All I've ever done since Bella and I got to school was to ask her when Alice and Rosalie are going to arrive. Alice wanted it to be a surprise, so she made me and Bella go to school first and she'll go to school with Rosalie and Jasper.

Bella's blank face suddenly beamed with delight when she saw Edward coming towards us.

"Hey." Edward planted a soft kiss on Bella's forehead and then high-fived with me. "What are you doing here?"

"We're waiting for Alice and the Hale siblings." Bella linked arms with Edward. When she saw the puzzled look on his face, she said, "You'll see."

As if on cue, Jasper's car came into view. I was smiling from ear to ear as I watched the car park a few cars away from Bella's truck. Jasper was the first one to come out of the car, followed by Alice who was smiling at us; she looked so confident that we would like what she did with Rosalie.

The moment Rosalie got out of the car, my jaw dropped. It was as if she was a whole new person. Alice dressed her up in a white sleeveless blouse with folded ruffle detail at the neckline, topped it with a simple gray cardigan, and paired it with black skinny jeans and white high heels. She was also wearing minimal make-up. The only thing Alice didn't touch was Rosalie's golden bouncy hair.

Rosalie looked around the parking lot nervously and bit her lip when she noticed that every student was staring at her. Alice held Rosalie's hand and whispered something to her as they walked towards us.

"Wow," Bella mused.

'Wow' wasn't the right word. Words could not describe how beautiful Rosalie looked now. Don't get me wrong; I knew she was beautiful the moment I realized that I like her a few nights ago, but damn, now she looked even more beautiful. Mental note: thank Alice for bringing out Rosalie's beauty.

"You're…you look great," I said.

Rosalie blushed and smiled. My heart melted when she smiled. It was the same smile that made me realize how beautiful she was. "Thanks."

"You did a great job, Alice," Edward and Bella said in unison.

Alice beamed with delight. "I know! I actually wanted to put something more girly on her, but Rosalie wanted to keep things simple and she didn't want me to put too much make-up on her. Anyway, she still looks good, right?"

All of us nodded. We walked to the school together and went on our separate ways to go to our respective classes. So now it was only me and Rosalie. Most students stared in awe as we passed by them.

_Is that a new student?_

_That's the dork Victoria made fun of yesterday, right?_

_Oh. My. God. Isn't that Rosalie Hale?_

_Who knew that dork was pretty? I can't wait 'til Victoria sees her._

Those were some of the stuff students whispered to one another as we walked down the hall to our class. Even our English teacher, Mr. Carter, was surprised to see Rosalie. I couldn't help but smile every time I look at her.

I tore off a page from my notebook and wrote the words 'You're beautiful' on it and unceremoniously handed it to Rosalie. She blushed and smiled as she read the note. She then turned to look at me. And right then, it was as if the whole world just stopped. Rosalie's beautiful eyes were sparkling, her face radiant, and her smile…it was breathtaking.

Rosalie was everything I could ask for. Smart, kind, beautiful, and most of all, she was different. She has this unique aura; she could see through me and she accepted me for who I am.

Rosalie was completely out of my league. But I swear I'd do everything to be the best for her.

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**A little sneak peek for the next chapter: Forks High Senior Prom**

The good stuff are just starting to come.

**Please review. :)**


	10. Prom Night

**Ya'll know I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**I'm so glad the previous chapter got many reviews. Thank you guys! :)**

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**10: Prom Night**

It's been four days since Rosalie became the new 'campus crush'. I liked the idea of Rosalie dressing as a normal teen at first, but now, I just don't like it. Most boys now go to our lunch table to ask for her number, approach us at the parking lot just to say 'Hi' to her…I'm telling you, it's just annoying. It's a good thing Rosalie doesn't entertain those boys. But still, I liked it more when Rosalie used to wear knee-length dresses and sweaters; back then, I was among the few who knew her beauty.

It's not like I'd rather have everyone think of her as ugly and dorky; what I want is for them to see her inner beauty and not only the outside. I remember telling Edward my thoughts about Rosalie's 'makeover', but Edward just shrugged and told me that I should just go with it. Maybe Edward's right. I don't know. At least Rosalie's personality didn't change. She was still my shy and innocent Rosalie…my Rosie.

Oh, here's another thing you need to know: I haven't told Rosalie that I love her yet. Honestly, I think I'm afraid of what she's going to say…but I'm planning on telling her tonight. I even bought her a necklace with a snowflake pendant. I'm sure it'll suit her perfectly because she's like a snowflake in every way; beautiful and fragile.

Edward's presence pulled me out from my thoughts. He sat beside me and patted my shoulder. "You look like 007," he joked.

I chuckled and patted his shoulder in return. "You don't look bad either."

Edward and I were silent for an awkward moment until he spoke up. "Talk to me man."

"About what?"

Edward shrugged. "About you, about Rosalie. It's been quite some time since we had a serious conversation."

The sound of Rosalie's name brought a smile to my lips. I then turned to look at Edward. "What's there to talk about? She's the best person I've ever known."

"You really like her, huh?" Edward asked. I nodded and looked at Edward like a boy who fell in love in the eighth grade. Edward smiled and patted my shoulder. "I'm happy for you."

And then, as if on cue, the door of Bella's room opened. The most important girl in my life went out of the room and started to head down the stairs. Everything was like in slow motion as she walked down with a smile on her face. She looked ethereal in every way; her purple long dress suited her perfectly. It hugged all her curves in the right places and complemented her alabaster skin. Her golden locks were gently waving as she moved, and she didn't have much make-up on her face. I probably looked like a fool as I stared at her with a silly smile on my face.

Before I could say a word, Alice came bouncing down the stairs, wearing a short fluffy dress that matches her quirky personality, and right behind her was Bella, wearing a simple white knee-length dress with a black belt. Jasper then came in and stopped a few steps behind me and Edward.

"Wow…" he breathed. "You girls look great," he said, though his eyes were fixed on Alice.

Alice giggled and walked over to him. "I know," she said as she linked arms with Jasper.

"Bella," Edward claimed. He reached for Bella's hand and led her outside.

Now it was only me and my Rosie. "You look good, Rose," I said nervously. Dang; I never got nervous around a girl before.

Rosalie smiled and took a step closer to me. "Thanks."

I took her hand and led her to the car waiting for us outside the house. During the whole ride to the venue, I couldn't help but look at Rosalie every once in a while. She just looked so darn irresistible. As we entered the hall, all eyes were on us. Most of the boys looked at me with envy, while most of the girls looked like they just saw a couple you read about in fairy tales and whatnot.

We looked around until we finally saw our friends near the dance floor. Alice was talking to the DJ; she was probably requesting for a song. Edward and Bella looked content by just standing beside each other, while Jasper watched as Alice talked to the DJ. And as Alice skipped off from the DJ's booth, the party music stopped.

"All right guys, this one is for all the couples out there," the DJ announced. Then this old familiar song started playing. A smile spread across my face when I heard Karen Carpenter's voice. I didn't know Alice would actually request for a song like this. My Dad used to play this song when I was young and he would tell me stories of his high school days with Mom and I would grimace because I thought love and everything related to it was gross back then.

Rosalie started singing along and I almost melted. It was the first time I heard her sing, and she sounded so amazing. "Would you like to dance?" I asked shyly.

Rosalie nodded and took my hand. We were the first ones who occupied the dance floor, seeing that the other students found the song corny and cheesy and out-of-date or something. For a moment, everything was in bliss. I was happy, Rosalie was happy. It was just the two of us, dancing sweetly along to the Carpenters song.

_You are my heart and my soul, my inspiration_

_Just like the old love song goes_

_You are one of the few things worth remembering_

_And since it's all true_

_How could anyone mean more to me…_

_Than you_

Everything was perfect. I couldn't ask for more. The song, the place, the girl…everything. It was like the stuff you see on romantic movies, only this was in real life. My life. I removed my gaze on Rosalie for a while, and that was when I realized that we were the ONLY couple dancing to the song. It was dark around the hall and the spotlight was focused on me and Rosalie. I bet Alice was melting now.

As the song came to an end, Rosalie planted a soft kiss on my cheek. She looked so happy. The DJ then played another slow song.

"Let's stay here," I whispered and pulled Rosalie closer to me as the song played.

Rosalie rested her head on my chest as we twirled around. Students were now occupying the dance floor as well. Rosalie and I remained on the dance floor for the next two songs and stopped when the DJ started playing up-tempo music.

"You're on a roll," Alice hummed as she watched Rosalie take a seat beside Bella. "You and Emmett are like fairy tale characters that came to life!"

Edward nodded. "You almost melted Mrs. Cope's heart of stone. She was sighing in an odd way as she watched the two of you take over the dance floor. Her eyes were twinkling too."

Alice and Bella laughed in unison at the thought of Mrs. Cope getting all mushy while Rosalie just blushed. Honestly, I don't care if everyone went mushy as Rosalie and I danced. I just don't care for what other people think and say right now. All I care about is that Rosalie is happy.

"Rose…" Lately it's been a habit of mine to call her Rose. "I have to show you something."

Edward raised his eyebrows; he was with me when I bought the necklace. He looked at me with a 'good luck' look on his face. I gave him a slight nod and wrapped an arm around Rosalie's waist as we went outside and walked over to the small fountain. I let her sit down on the bench near the fountain and then took a deep breath.

"I'm so glad you took me to prom," she said in a shy way.

Well that made me blush. I smiled sheepishly and sat down beside her. "I'm glad you let me take you." I took a deep breath once again. I've never done this before. I wasn't the mushy type of guy. I looked at Rosalie; she was smiling and radiant, her eyes twinkling. I knew it was the perfect moment.

"Rose," I managed to say in a whisper. I pulled out the silver necklace from the pocket inside my suit and showed it to her. "This is a way that I say I need you."

Rosalie gasped softly and stared at the necklace which was shimmering because of the faint light from a garden lamp a few feet away from us. The look on her face was priceless. I inched closer to her and put the necklace on her neck. It looked perfect on her.

"You're like a snowflake…beautiful and fragile," I whispered as I inched closer and closer. Rosalie tensed up a little as my lips touched her cheek. I slightly moved upwards and kissed her on her forehead, and then planted two feathery kisses on both of her cheeks, and then put a little kiss her nose. "This is a way that I say I love you."

Rosalie started to breathe faster than usual. I could tell that this was her first time to have a man this close to her. She closed her eyes as she let me plant kisses on her face and then opened her eyes when I backed away a little. She smiled that sweet smile of hers and I couldn't help it anymore.

"This is a way that I say I'm yours," I sighed and closed in on the gap between us.

Her lips were soft and I feel like I could lose myself in them. I brushed my lips carefully against hers a couple of times and then put my hand at the base of her neck and pulled her closer until our bodies were touching and continued kissing her. I couldn't help but breathe in her scent; it was like a drug to me. She pulled away to take a couple of breaths and looked at me intensely. The look on her eyes made me go for it again. I brushed my lips against hers again and again until I had to stop to catch my breath.

I took Rosalie's hand as I tried to breathe evenly and squeezed it gently. My mind was spinning right now because of that kiss. I've imagined kissing Rosalie a couple of times, and now that I've actually kissed her, I felt like I'm in heaven already. It was the most innocent yet intense kiss I've ever had. I looked at Rosalie and smiled. Her cheeks were red and she was trying to catch her breath as well.

"You're beautiful," I said as I traced circles on the back of her hand.

Rosalie smiled and looked at me. "That kiss…this necklace…" She lifted her other hand and toyed with the pendant as she tried to search for something to say. "I'm scared, Emmett."

My brows creased. "Scared of what?"

"Of what may happen," she said, almost a whisper and then she looked down. "I'm scared of losing you."

My heart was bouncing with joy when she said those words. She was afraid of losing me… "Does that mean…you love me too?"

Rosalie nodded but didn't look up.

"Hey," I lifted her chin up so she could be eye to eye with me. "I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you. Ever. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Rose. I'm the one who should be scared."

Her eyes brightened up a little as she let out a small smile. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, too."

I almost jumped up with delight as I heard those words. I leaned closer to her again and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and we went on like that for a couple of moments until I heard slow music playing inside the hall.

"Come on, I want to spend the whole night dancing with you." I stood up and grabbed Rosalie's hand.

The two of us went back inside and danced along to all the slow songs the DJ played. Alice and Jasper were dancing too, and by the looks of it, they're probably enjoying each other's company. Edward and Bella weren't on the dance floor, so I assumed they're on our table. Rosalie and I didn't stop dancing and twirling around. In fact, I could go on all night like this. We only stopped when the DJ stopped the music so Mrs. Cope – she was the one in charge of this whole thing – could say something.

"It's time to announce the Prom King and Queen," she said with a cheeky smile.

All the senior students gathered up near the stage as Mr. Banner handed Mrs. Cope a small note. For a moment, she looked like she couldn't believe her eyes. And then she looked at the students and smiled.

"Emmett McCarty, get up here son. You're this year's Prom King!" Mrs. Cope gushed enthusiastically as she searched the crowd for me.

Whoa, I didn't expect that one. I looked at Rosalie and kissed her cheek before I went up the stage to claim my crown. Mr. Banner put a sash on me and congratulated me as he put the crown on my head. I flashed a huge grin and looked around the hall as the crowd clapped their hands.

"And now," Mrs. Cope said as she grabbed the microphone. "The Prom Queen is…" Does she really need to pause dramatically? "Rosalie Hale!"

What? Now I was smiling from ear to ear, probably bouncing up and down with delight too. I scanned the crowd and finally saw Rosalie making her way through the crowd of students. She came up the stage and looked around the hall nervously. Mrs. Cope smiled at her as she put the crown on Rosalie.

I went closer to her and took her hand. "Smile," I whispered. "That crown looks good on you."

Rosalie smiled shyly and looked at the crowd. Mrs. Cope then made us go to the dance floor for the King and Queen Dance. The lights dimmed and the only bright light was the one focused on me and Rosalie. I put my hand on her back and took her hand as the music started playing.

"Kiss from a Rose," I mumbled as I instantly recognized Seal's voice. I liked that song the first time I heard it. It was a perfect song to describe this night.

Rosalie smiled and buried her face in my chest as we twirled slowly. "I like this song."

"Me too," I replied in a hush. "And now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the gray," I sang along.

Rosalie giggled; it was my first time to let her hear me sing. I don't care if my voice didn't fit the song. All I wanted was to make her feel special. And I'm glad I'm doing great.

"This is the best day of my life so far," Rosalie said.

I chuckled and tightened my arm around her as the urge to kiss her deepened. I finally caved in to the urge and kissed her just as the song reached its final chorus. I don't care if there're students around us; I tuned out their gasps and ahh's and ohh's as I kissed Rosalie and enjoyed the last notes of the song. And right before the song ended, I made Rosalie look up at me.

She looked at me expectantly; her innocent eyes were glistening.

"I love you, pretty girl," I breathed.

Rosalie smiled. "I love you too."

Damn. I'm probably the happiest man alive.

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**The links to the girls' prom dresses are in my profile; check it out if you want.**

**Some of you might've found my song choices (You [Carpenters] and Kiss From A Rose [Seal]) corny or something. I kinda like old love songs better than this generation's love songs so I picked those songs...**

**Anyway, I'll be celebrating my birthday on Tuesday, yay! Just sharing; warm reviews will sure be a great gift! You'll get a bear hug from Emmett in return. :D**


	11. Dare You to Move

**Ya'll know I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**Heya! Forgive me for the somewhat slow pace of updating; school began a week ago and it's getting in my way. Anyway, thanks for those who wished me a happy birthday! The reviews are awesome and since the story almost has 80 reviews now, I'll make a special chapter. :)**

**The song that will be mentioned as Danny's song is Written in the Stars. I have a link on my profile if you want to listen to it in case you haven't heard it yet.**

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**11: Dare You to Move**

Today's Sunday; it's been 2 days since prom, and I still feel like cloud nine. Ever since that night, all I could think about was my future with Rosalie. There were so many things waiting for us and I can't wait to marry her and have kids with her and grow old with her because I'm sure that she's the one and nothing will ever change my feelings for her

"I want you to meet someone," I whispered to Rosalie as we walked to my car. We just had breakfast at Bella's house and I invited her outside to go somewhere.

Rosalie's brows creased slightly. "Who?"

"It's a surprise." I opened the passenger door for her and gave her a smile as she got into the car.

We spent the whole fifteen minutes on the road singing along to the songs the DJ played on the radio. When we finally got to our destination, Rosalie looked so confused. I took her hand and led her to my brother's tombstone.

"Hey Danny," I greeted as I stood in front of Danny's tombstone. "I brought someone special."

Rosalie looked at me – she still looked a bit confused – and then looked at Danny's tombstone. "Hi Danny," she said with a small smile.

"This is Rosalie Hale. She's the girl I told you about a week ago." I wrapped my arm around Rosalie's shoulder and pulled her closer to me. "And I want you to know that we're going steady."

"Emmett's told me a lot of things about you," Rosalie said. She looked up at me and smiled. "He tells me everyday how much he misses you."

I chuckled. "You're the only girl I ever brought here, Rose."

Rosalie looked flattered; she was blushing. But it's true; Rosalie's the only girl I ever brought here to 'meet' Danny. She's the only one who made such an impact on me. Rosalie and I spent the next hour sitting under an old oak tree near Danny's tombstone, talking about some of my memories with Danny. And then Rosalie started to talk about her father.

"I miss my Daddy," she blurted out. She was staring at her hands now.

I pulled her closer to me and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"He's the one who taught me how to be comfortable with what I am. He taught me how to fish, make a pie, and how to pray. He always made me pray before I go to bed and before we eat." Rosalie rested her head on my shoulder. "He was there for me through thick and thin. And then he died because of pneumonia when I was ten."

I sighed. This was the first time Rosalie talked about her father and just by hearing her say those things, I knew she loved her father so much. "I'm sorry."

Rosalie looked up at me and smiled weakly. "It's ok. It's been a long time and…" She took my hand and our fingers intertwined like it was made to be like that. "You're the only one I talked to about Dad aside from my Mom and Jasper."

"Speaking of Jasper…he kind of scares me," I blurted out.

Rosalie chuckled. "He's really protective, I know. He promised Dad that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to me…that's why he was so furious after the Victoria incident."

I absentmindedly made circles with my fingers on Rosalie's shoulder. "I know this sounds out of the blue, but believe me, I've been thinking a lot about this lately…I want to marry you someday and build a house with a white picket fence for you with a nice yard for our kids to play in. I want to have four kids – if that's okay with you – two boys and two girls. I want to grow old with you, Rose."

Suddenly, tears strolled down Rosalie's cheeks.

"Did I say something wrong?" I panicked. Did I say something wrong? Oh my god. I made her cry. Stupid…stupid…stupid Emmett… "Baby, are you okay? I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

Rosalie's sobs grew softer as she pulled away to look me right in my face. "No…" she croaked. "It's just that…I want to have the same things with you but I feel like I can't give you that."

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry for bringing this up. But I know you'll be great. I know we'll be great together."

"Together…I like the sound of that…" She looked up at me and kissed me gently. When she pulled away, her tears were almost gone and a smile was gracing her face. "Now it's my turn to introduce someone to you."

I stood up and helped her get up. We walked back to Danny's tombstone to say goodbye. "We have to go, Danny. I'll bring her back here some time," I said as I patted the marble tombstone.

"Bye Danny; it was nice meeting you." Rosalie kissed her fingers and then gently patted it on Danny's tombstone.

God…if only Danny was here to meet this wonderful girl beside me. I know they'd be friends in an instant. I kept on telling myself that Danny was in a much better place now and that he's happy for me as we walked back to the car. Rosalie insisted on driving. I didn't believe that she could drive at first, but when she told me step by step how to drive, I let her with a wide grin.

To be honest, I didn't know what to think or feel when she parked the car near Forks General Hospital. There was something inside me that made me think that Rosalie has a relative in there. She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the front door. Right when she entered the hospital, the nurse at the reception desk smiled and nodded at her, which gave me the idea that Rosalie goes here often. We took an elevator and stopped at the third floor of the hospital and stopped in front of the room with a sign above the door that says 'Pediatric Cancer Ward'.

Right then, I didn't know what to think. As Rosalie's pushed open the door, the smell of vanilla filled the air and I couldn't help but look around the room. There were about four kids inside the room from ages five to ten; three boys and one girl.

"Miss Rose!" one little guy gushed as soon as Rosalie entered the room. "You're back!" He jumped off of his bed and ran towards Rosalie to give her a hug.

Rosalie kissed his forehead and wrapped her arms around him. "Hey Sammy, I missed you."

The rest of the three kids ran towards Rosalie as well and they wrapped their little arms around her, forming a big group hug. Rosalie was right in the middle of the group hug and I could tell by the look on her face that she was happy and content being with these kids. And then the kids turned to look at me, who looked like a fool standing a couple of feet away from them with a puzzled look on my face.

"Who is he?" the boy with red hair and tiny freckles on his cheeks asked with a tone of jealousy or something. The other kids looked at me from head to toe, as if trying to judge me by the way I look. And to be honest, I feel kind of pressured and intimidated by these kids.

Rosalie stood up and went over to me and held my hand. The little brunette girl widened her eyes when she saw that little move. "This is Emmett McCarty. He's my boyfriend."

"He's too tall for you," the red headed kid pouted. "And he has big arms."

Now these kids sound really funny. I guess no boy would be perfect for Rosalie to them. I could already tell that they really like Rosalie. Rosalie gave my hand a gentle squeeze and then knelt in front of the kids.

"He's not too tall…I'm a bit tall too you know. He's perfect for me." Rosalie blushed as she said those words.

I kinda blushed myself. I looked down and rubbed the back of my neck. There's something about the way Rosalie talks that makes me wanna grab her and kiss her until we're both out of breath.

Rosalie stood up and went back beside me. "Em, this is Mark," she pointed to the boy who hugged her first. "This tall boy here is Brian, the one with the cute freckles is Tyler, and this little girl here…" Rosalie let go of my hand and picked up the girl. "…this is Julie."

"Hi guys," I gave them all a nod.

"You wanna know what those big arms are for?" Rosalie asked the kids.

All of them shrugged; they still weren't warming up to me. These kids are hard to please. Rosalie then whispered something to me and then smiled at the kids. I dashed over to Mark and Tyler and scooped them up; man, these big arms really do come in handy. I ran around the room with the boys in my arms. They were giggling and laughing the moment I picked them up. After a couple of minutes, I put them down so I could make Brian 'fly' around the room, after Brian was Julie, who laughed her face off as I carried her around the room. And all the while, Rosalie looked so happy. She was beaming with delight. Whatever makes my Rose happy is fine for me.

The kids finally warmed up to me after half an hour of goofing around with them. While I was playing with the kids, Rosalie went out and bought pizza for them. The smiles on the kids' faces were so adorable when Rosalie came in with the pizza. We had lunch with the kids and then spent a couple of hours more with them before a nurse came in and told us that visiting time was over. Julie almost cried; she didn't want us to leave. She even begged the nurse to let us stay so we could be with her while she undergoes her chemo. The stuck-up nurse didn't even look sympathizing when she said no.

"We'll be back next week," Rosalie cooed as she wrapped Julie in a tight hug.

The other kids wrapped their arms around Rosalie to form a big hug again. "Can't you come here on Wednesday?" Mark asked.

Rosalie smiled at him. "Of course, I'll come on Wednesday."

Julie pulled away from the hug and walked shyly towards me. I picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Can you bring Emmett with you on Wednesday?" she asked.

"Of course I'll come too," I answered with a grin. Didn't see that one coming; I didn't think they'd ask for me to visit again. Man, where have I been all this time? Before Rosalie came, I didn't even know that there's a cancer ward for kids here in Forks Hospital. I didn't even care at all about the people here in the hospital…I thought the only thing that matters is me. My life and nothing else. And now it's like I have a whole new perspective. A new journey. With Rosalie.

"Bye guys," I waved at the kids. They waved back and grinned eagerly because of Rosalie's promise that we'll bring toys for them on our next visit.

"Is it okay if we have dinner somewhere else?" I asked as we hopped into the car.

Rosalie contemplated it first and then checked her cell phone for messages from Jasper. "It's okay I guess. I'll just tell Jasper that I won't be home for dinner."

I smiled and caressed her cheek and then drove off to the steak house to get some food and then brought Rosalie to the old house near the river bank just a few blocks away from the town.

"Wow," Rosalie mused as she got out of the car. "This place is huge!"

I grabbed the food bag from the back seat, took a blanket I've been keeping at the car trunk, and then led her inside the house. "A huge piece of crap," I chuckled.

"No, it's beautiful," Rosalie sighed. She spread the blanket on the floor and then helped me set the food. I ran to the kitchen and found a bunch of candles in one of the cabinets and a matchbox as well.

"How did you know this place?" Rosalie asked as she took a bite of steak.

"Danny and I used to mow the lawn of this place when Mrs. Potter was still alive. She was such a sweet old lady. She'd make pie for us so we could eat after we tend her garden and then let us play after. When she died, this place became our playground of some sort."

Rosalie nodded towards a huge painting behind my back. "Is that Mrs. Potter?"

I nodded. "I know…she looked like Blythe Danner."

Rosalie nodded. "I was about to say that. She's beautiful. Did she have kids?"

"Yep; but they all left her to have families of their own. Her husband died during WWII. She left this house to her eldest son but I think he didn't give a rat's ass about this place." I took a bite of steak and then looked around the room. "She made all these paintings."

"No kidding," Rosalie mused. Her eyes were twinkling as she looked at the paintings on the wall. "These are beautiful. I wish I had the chance to meet her."

I told Rosalie more stuff about Mrs. Potter as we ate the rest of our food and even told her that Danny started saving money when he was in his freshman year in high school so he could buy this place someday. By the time he died, the money he saved could cover half of the price Mrs. Potter's son offered him. Danny loved this place so much; he didn't miss a weekend of working here.

We cleaned up the food boxes right after we were done eating and then brought the blanket out so we could just lie in the grass and watch the stars. The sky was pretty clear tonight and there were lots of bright stars. The air wasn't too hot or too cold either so it was perfect.

Rosalie rested her head on my arm and then wrapped her arm around my waist. "I wish we could spend every night like this."

I smiled and held her hand with my free hand. "If you want to…I could make that happen. What else do you want?"

Rosalie fell silent for a moment. "I've always wanted to ride a horse."

"Well that's a bit hard. I'd have to wait until the carnival opens for the Holidays." I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "What else?"

"There's nothing else. I just want to be with you." Rosalie sat up and planted a gentle kiss on my lips.

The kiss was sweet and gentle at first and then it grew passionate and needier as the seconds passed by. I sat up and gently pushed down Rosalie so she would lie down on the blanket. I placed myself on top of her and brushed away stray strands of her hair as we kissed. She wrapped her arms around my neck which made me become drawn intensely to her. I removed my lips from her lips and started to go down to her neck, leaving feathery kisses on it, and then my lips slowly made its way to her shoulder. Our hips were touching and I was almost about to touch her breasts when I realized that this was a sweet innocent girl with me. Damn; I don't want her to feel my hard-on and I definitely don't want to touch her private parts this soon coz she might think I'm some sort of a pervert so I pulled away, breathless, and slumped myself beside her.

I watched the rise and fall of Rosalie's chest as she panted and I couldn't help but smile at her. "That was rather good."

Rosalie giggled and steadied her eyes on me. She looked like she could do nothing but stare at me all night long. "Your dimples are showing."

"I know. You like it huh?" I nudged her arm playfully.

"Yeah, you look like a boy when your dimples show off." Rosalie placed her hand on my cheek and giggled. "I love those dimples."

Before I could say anything, tiny rain drops started to pour. We ignored it and just remained lying on the blanket side by side. And then the rain fell harder. We were starting to get soaked. Rosalie jumped up and twirled around, looking like a giddy little girl.

I laughed and joined her, twirling around like an idiot. I stopped for a second to watch her. Aw man, she looked like a cute little girl. I went over to her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and wiped away the strands of hair on her face. Right at that moment, I knew in my heart that she really is the one. Looking back, I didn't think I'd fall for an innocent girl like Rosalie. I thought she wasn't worth my time. And then there were the times that I came across her path while she was being bullied or seduced which seemed like it was meant to be. Hell, look what she's done to me now. I couldn't help but think of the last song Danny composed before he passed away.

_I wasn't meant to love like this_

_Not without you_

_Cause when I look at my life_

_How the pieces fall into place_

_It just wouldn't rhyme without you_

_When I see how my path_

_Seem to end up before your face_

_The state of my heart, the place where we are_

_Was written in the stars_

Damn…I really am becoming a softie. I don't care though, as long as I have Rosalie. After a few minutes or so under the rain, hugging each other, Rosalie asked me to get her home. I didn't bother to get the blanket because it was soaking wet so we just walked hand in hand back to the car. I'd probably have a hard time cleaning the car tomorrow morning, but I don't care if the seats get wet. Driving while raining made me remember of the night when Danny died, so I tried my best to drive as safe as I could.

It wasn't raining anymore when we got back to our neighborhood. I parked the car in front of Bella's house and walked Rosalie across the street to her house. Jasper was sitting on the bench at their porch. The look on his face told me that he was disappointed.

"Why are you wet?" he asked with a firm tone.

Rosalie looked down and bit her lip. "We sort of danced under the rain."

Jasper's brows furrowed. "You what?"

"Jas…"

Rosalie was cut off by Jasper scoff. "Get inside and dry yourself."

"No," Rosalie replied shakily; it was clear that she doesn't answer back at Jasper that much.

Jasper's jaws tensed as his eyes darted from me to Rosalie. "You shouldn't have done this. You know that."

Rosalie looked at her brother with strained eyes. "We were just having fun."

"Get inside," Jasper said firmly.

Rosalie shook her head. I reached her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Get inside _now_, Rose." Jasper's voice was firmer and colder now.

Rosalie looked at me with sorrow in her eyes and then ran towards her house. Jasper took a deep breath and shook his head. "You let her get soaked."

"What is wrong with that? Rose was just trying to have fun," I snapped. I didn't try to hide the irritation in my voice. He's too strict.

Jasper shook his head again and looked like he was about to lunge at me. "You..." He looked like he was trying to find the right words to say but he couldn't come up with anything. With that, he walked back to his house and slammed the door shut.

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**So now you know some of Rosalie's activities. I hope I'm not boring you with the fluffy chapters. They're an important factor (or whatever you want to call it) to Emmett and Rosalie's story.**

**Again, please review. I'd give you a bunch of hugs and kisses for that. :D**


	12. Love and Despair

**Ya'll know I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**Your reviews are very much appreciated. :)**

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**12: Love and Despair**

I didn't get much sleep last night. The fact that Jasper didn't look happy at all when he saw Rosalie soaked wet made me feel like something's wrong. I mean, what the heck? Who gets mad at someone for playing and dancing under the rain? What kind of crap is that?

Anyway, I guess I had three or four hours of sleep, which isn't a good thing because I have football practice today. And then when I woke up, the first thing I did was look for Danny's journal. It's where he wrote his compositions; I just had the urge to look for the complete lyrics of the song I played in my mind last night. He entitled it Written in the Stars. Cheesy, huh? I know…but heck, I'm cheesy for using that song. But it's good anyway.

When I got to school, I was surprised that Rosalie didn't attend our first class. I waited to catch a glimpse of her at the halls, but I didn't get one. By lunch time, I grew impatient. I fished my phone out of my pocket and called her, but I was just sent to voicemail. That's when I had this gut feeling that there's something wrong. Maybe she got sick?

After football practice, I dropped by the Tutor Center, and Dork Number One – whose name I can't really remember – told me that Rosalie didn't even call them. I rushed to the parking lot and got stopped by Victoria.

"What do you want?" I muttered.

Victoria's brows creased as she stepped closer to me. "I didn't get the crown."

"What crown?"

Victoria folded her arms and scoffed. "I was supposed to be the Prom Queen, not your dork." She reached for my arm but I yanked it away; I knew where this was heading. "When are you going to stop toying with her?"

"I am not toying with her," I snapped and shoved her away. "And Rosalie deserves that crown, so fuck off."

I didn't even wait for her reply. I got into my car and drove off. My head was spinning; I couldn't help but worry for Rosalie. This was her first time not to come to school. She's one of the top students; we're going to have finals next week, so I know she has some important reason why she missed school today.

When I got back to Bella's house, I quickly parked the car and then went over to Rosalie's house. Jasper was the one who opened the door. He didn't look pleased at all.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanna talk to Rose."

Jasper shook his head. "Not today, Emmett."

"Who's that honey?" It was their mother. She appeared behind Jasper a few seconds later.

"Hi Mrs. Hale," I greeted and tried to sound as good as possible.

Mrs. Hale nodded and then smiled at me. She patted Jasper's shoulder. "Go get Rose, honey."

Jasper was about to protest but his mother stopped her by waving her hand dismissively. "She needs to talk to him."

With that, Jasper went upstairs. Mrs. Hale gave me a nod once again. "I'm sorry for the way he acts," she said and then walked back to their kitchen.

A few moments later, Rosalie came down the stairs. She was wearing one of her floral dresses again and she didn't look sick…well, except for her pale skin. She closed the front door behind her and motioned for me to sit at the bench.

"Are you okay?" I asked concernedly.

Rosalie bit her lip and looked away. "I have to tell you something."

The sound of her tone sent a chill down my spine. I've never heard Rosalie sound so frail before. There was something in her voice that made me think that something bad was about to happen. Rosalie looked up at me and I saw fear in her eyes.

"I'm sick," she said, barely a whisper.

"Oh I'm sorry for letting you stay under the rain, Rose, I'm really sorry." I reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "I think Bella has some aspirin ba-"

I was cut off by Rosalie's soft whimper. She removed her hand from mine and tried to fight back the tears that were forming in her eyes. "It's not like that…"

"Then what is it?" I was getting impatient. There's this weird feeling in my gut that made me feel uneasy.

"I have Leukemia." Rosalie tried real hard not to look at me. She obviously didn't want to see my reaction.

"You're kidding, right?" I scoffed.

Tears were streaming down Rosalie's beautiful face now.

Damn it. She looked so agonized over this, but I couldn't help but get angry. "Why didn't you tell me? All this time…why didn't you tell me?"

Rosalie flinched. "I didn't want to ruin what we have." With that, she ran back to her house with tears still running down her cheeks. And right then, I felt like I was stabbed. I stood still for a minute as I tried to register everything in my head.

Rose…

Prom night…

Our kiss…

The things we did together…

Everything suddenly came crashing down. My legs started to have a life of its own. I started running to the forest behind the houses and I just let myself run and run until I had to stop to catch my breath.

"Fuck!" I yelled as I panted. "Fuck!"

Thankfully, no one was around as I was probably already deep into the woods. I kicked a stone near me as hard as I could. As if it wasn't enough, I went in fury towards the nearest tree and hit it as hard as I could. And then I hit it again. And again…and again until my knuckles became sore and numb.

"Damn it!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. It was only then when I realized that I was crying all the while. I wanted the pain and the tears to stop but it just kept going. I wanted everything to stop and I wanted everything to change.

I can't believe my Rosalie is sick. How stupid am I? Why wasn't I able to put the pieces together?

Rosalie's pale skin…

Her frail body…

The way their family was so private…

Jasper's over-protectiveness…

The way she reacted when I told her that I wanted to have a family with her…

Jasper's fury when Rosalie played under the rain…

How could I not know? Damn it. Why wasn't I able to put the fucking pieces together? Why…why is this happening? I was just starting to change my life. Rosalie was just starting to have a better life. Why on fucking Earth is this happening?

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It was getting dark now; I don't know how long I've been here in the woods. I feel like something was carved out from me, like a piece of me was taken. My trust? Hell, I don't know. But I sure feel like Rosalie betrayed my trust. I trusted her…accepted her…welcomed her into my life…but she failed to tell me this huge thing about her. Leukemia? I don't know much about that, but I do know for a fact that she might die because of that. And that's what I'm scared of. I'm scared of losing her. The mere thought of it brings tears to my eyes.

Speaking of tears, hell, I think I cried for an hour or something. My eyes are red and strained. The last time I cried like this was when Danny died. I couldn't help but get a little mad at God. It's as if He takes all the ones who are dear to me. First Danny and now my Rosalie. What kind of life is this? Man, I am pissed. Pissed is not enough to describe it; it's more like doomed. Or broken…or damned.

Again, as if my legs have a life of its own, I started running back to the neighborhood and went straight to my house. I didn't bother to knock on the door; I just barged in and tried to find where my Dad is and I ended up in the dining area. He was having dinner with Mom and Abby.

Abby's face lit up when she saw me; she jumped out of her chair to give me a hug. Mom looked like a pain in the ass as usual; her lips were pressed tightly together.

"Emmett! I missed you!" Abby gushed. She looked so exuberant.

I managed to let out a small smile and then removed her arms around me. "Not now, Abby." I looked at my Dad intently. "We need to talk."

Dad nodded slightly and stood up and then led me to the living room. He probably sensed the urgency in my voice; he sat on the couch and asked right away. "What is it?"

"Do you know anyone who treats leukemia?" I asked as I sat in front of him.

Shock filled Dad's eyes. "Why? Do you -"

"It's not me," I cut him off and looked down. "It's Rosalie."

"Oh," was all Dad could say.

I took a deep breath and looked at him again. It was only then when he noticed that my eyes were red and strained. His eyes then landed on my knuckles which were bruised and somewhat bloody.

"What happened?" He reached for my hand and examined it.

I yanked my hand gently away from him. "It doesn't matter. Dad, do you know anyone who can help Rose?"

"I know some. But Emmett, Forks is not that up-to-date with the technologies needed to treat leukemia patients."

My brows creased. "But we just visited kids who have cancer yesterday at the local hospital."

Dad shook his head slightly. "Those children are different cases. I need to see Rosalie."

Right then, Mom came into view with Abby right behind her. "What is it?" she asked with an uptight tone. Hell, she could act like that all night; I don't care. "Is it about that emancipation paper?"

Oh, I almost forgot about that. I'll deal with that some other day. "This is none of your business," I muttered.

"Don't talk to me like -"

"Katherine," my Dad interrupted; I could tell from the tone of his voice that he was tired of Mom's crap as well. "Take Abby upstairs, will you?"

Mom's eyes darted from Dad to me and then back to Dad. She scoffed and led Abby upstairs.

"Your Mom has been very touchy when it comes to _you_ since you came here with the emancipation papers," Dad said with a sigh. "Anyway, is Rosalie available now? I'd like to talk to her."

I nodded and led Dad to Rosalie's house. I knocked thrice before the door was opened by Mrs. Hale.

"Hi Mrs. Hale," I greeted.

Mrs. Hale let out a small smile. "Just call me Diane, dear."

I nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Can we see Rosalie?"

"Sure," Mrs. Hale answered with a humble smile. She opened the door wider so my Dad and I could come in. "Make yourself at home," she said as she motioned for us to sit at the couch. "Can I get you boys something?"

My Dad smiled and shook his head. "No, thank you."

Mrs. Hale smiled and then heaved a sigh before she went upstairs to get Rosalie. After a few seconds, Jasper came down the stairs, his footsteps making loud thuds. It was pretty obvious that he didn't want me here. He looked at me for a wee bit and then sat down on the living chair beside me.

A couple of moments later, Mrs. Hale came down as well with Rosalie right behind her. Rosalie's eyes were red and strained just like mine. Her nose was reddish as well; she had been crying. Rosalie hid behind her mother as they made their way to sit with us. I felt like a stupid asshole; I scared her. She must've gotten the idea that I'm gonna leave her when I yelled at her earlier.

"So, what brings you two here?" Mrs. Hale asked with a small weak smile; she knew what this was all about.

Dad cleared his throat and clasped his hands together. "Mrs. H-" he stopped short when Mrs. Hale raised her eyebrows. Dad let out an embarrassed smile and then cleared his throat again. "Diane…Emmett told me about Rosalie's condition."

Mrs. Hale looked down and then looked at Rosalie, who was sitting beside her. Rosalie looked down and took her mother's hand. "I believe my daughter's condition affected her relationship with Emmett."

"No, it's not like that," my Dad answered in an instant; he was backing me up. "Emmett…he asked me to help you."

Rosalie looked up at my Dad and stared at him, as if asking him if what he said was true.

"Honey, Emmett wants to help you," Dad said with a soft tone. "And I'm going to do everything I could to help you."

Jasper scoffed. Everyone in the living room looked at him. Mrs. Hale excused herself from us and took Jasper to their kitchen. Dad fished out his cell phone from his pocket and told me that he'd call some of his friends. It was only me and Rosalie now. But before I could say anything, I heard Jasper shout.

"What is this now? We're not asking for charity. We don't need their help!"

I could hear Mrs. Hale's exasperated sigh. "Jasper, Emmett wants to help your sister. It's not as if we asked him to help her. He wants to."

"He only wants to because he pities her."

A loud slap then echoed through the house, followed by Mrs. Hale's soft whimper. "I'm sorry Jasper, but I've had enough of this. Your sister is finally getting the love she deserves and yet you act like they all just pity her. Stop it, Jasper. Stop it. For once, be happy for her."

Rosalie's soft sobs made me turn and look at her; I didn't notice that I was a tad eager to listen to Mrs. Hale's conversation with Jasper. Tears were streaming down Rosalie's pretty face now. I went over to her and knelt in front of her.

"Hey," I whispered as I wiped her tears away. "I don't like it when you're crying."

Rosalie let out a weak smile and looked down, avoiding my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry for crying?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry for being…weak."

I took a deep breath and leaned closer to her. "You're not weak." I held both her hands and looked deep into her eyes. "You're special."

Tears rolled down her cheeks once again. "You make it seem like it's all going to be easy."

I shook my head. "I'm not saying it's all going to be okay. But…" I let go of one of her hands and touched her face. "I'm going to be here with you through thick and thin. That's what matters, right?"

A warm smile graced her lips as she tried to fight back her tears. She looked deep into my eyes, just like the way she looked at me when I realized I was in love with her, but this time I felt a pang of pain and fear. Fear that I might lose my dear Rose.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," I whispered.

Rosalie nodded, stood up, and motioned for me to stand up as well. "I'm sorry for not telling you my condition."

I grinned; I knew it make her feel a lot better. I then planted a soft kiss on her lips and hoped that everything would be okay. I'd do anything for Rosalie to be okay.

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**So…almost all of you guessed that this is like A Walk to Remember. It is. I'm kind of expecting tomatoes to be thrown at me now. Haha. Anyway, kidding aside, I have made some changes and I've already planned a little twist. I'm also expecting to lose some readers because of this because some have told me that they don't like seeing Rosalie sick or dying. Well, whether Rosalie is gonna die or not, I guess you'd have to read it until the end to find out. ;)**

**So to those who are still going to read this – and I do hope that you still would – here's a sneak peek: the special chapter I promised will be the next chapter.**

**Comments and criticisms are always welcome. Please review. :)**


	13. Faith, Hope, Love

**I don't own Twilight. But I do own some of the characters here (Emmett's family).**

**I'm SO sorry for the late update. I had lots of school work to do…this has been a really busy semester for me. Anyway, here's the special chapter; I hope you'll like this one. And thanks for all your positive reviews! :)**

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**13: Faith, Hope, Love**

Have you ever wondered what marks our time here? If one life can really make an impact on the world...or if the choices we make matter? I believe they do. And I believe that one person can change many lives.

Ever since I watched the film Pay It Forward, I knew in my heart that I was born do to something to change the world. I was seven back then when I watched that film on cable; I never removed my eyes from the TV screen until the credits rolled. In fact, I cried when Haley Joel Osment's character died.

I started helping special kids when I turned eight. There was an orphanage near our house and I always visited and played with the kids there. The 'normal' kids weren't my kind of friends; the special, unloved ones were my friends. My Daddy was somehow proud of me for being able to understand special people. He told me how beautiful my soul was. He told me that I was his angel.

When my father was diagnosed with pneumonia when I was ten, my heart broke into a million tiny pieces. I remember the doctor telling Mom that Daddy was too sick to be saved. I cried my eyes out that night. A few hours before Daddy died, he told me to never stop caring for other people and to be brave and to be just myself; it was his dying wish of some sort, so I never stopped helping other people.

As the years passed, my commitment to helping other people grew deeper. I even got my mother and Jasper to do charity work as well. Most of the kids my age thought I was weird because I'd rather hang out with orphans than them. They just don't get it; orphans have a lot more depth than them. They just take everything for granted, unlike orphans and special kids who thank God for the blessings they receive each day. That's what made me decide that I would do my best to help others as long as I could.

I was sixteen when I started to lose weight. And then the fevers started. A couple months later, I bruised easily. I remember when I tripped over a tree root in our garden and fell on the ground; I had three huge bruises on my arm and an ugly wound on my thigh. At first I thought the fever and bruising was just because of my sudden weight loss. I also thought that my weight loss was because of all the charity work I've been doing. Shortly after, it got worse. We went to a doctor and by then, I knew that there was something wrong with me. My mother and Jasper were so worried. We waited for a week before they called us back to the hospital. The doctor had a look on his face that says I-can't-deliver-bad-news-again. Mom cried as the doctor explained to us my condition. Jasper was teary-eyed as well. But me…I was blank, just stared at my hands and tried to register everything into my mind.

Moving here to Forks seemed like an okay idea to me a few months before. I get to start a new life, a new place to live. My family decided to move when we found out that I have Acute Leukemia. It was Jasper's idea to move because he couldn't take all the attention pointed at our family when they found out that I was sick. They all pitied me like I'm some kind of a sick puppy.

We all agreed that my condition was to be kept a secret; it wasn't that bad anyway. The doctors said that I still have a chance of surviving. But there's also a chance that I would get worse. Either way, the doctors told me that I should treasure every day of my life like it's the last.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly…until I met Emmett McCarty.

From the first time I saw him, I knew that he needed help. I also knew that I would fall for him eventually. I just knew. So it wasn't a surprise when after a few series of events, we got closer. And then I fell. I fell hard. I cried my eyes out after he told me that he loves me for the first time. I feared of what may happen to him if I get worse.

And then this day came; the day I had to tell him that I have Leukemia. I stood in front of the mirror for almost an hour, thinking and practicing what I'm going to tell him, but when I got face to face with him, everything came crashing down. The worried look on his beautiful, innocent face broke my heart. His anger when I told him the truth made me think that he would never talk to me again. I cried my eyes out today…the first time I cried real hard in years. I cried because I thought I lost Emmett McCarty.

But to my surprise, he came back here with his father. He wants to help me. He wants to take care of me. To be honest, I was heartbroken when he told me that he would stay with me through thick and thin because…I don't want to see him cry or sad whenever my condition gets the better of me. I don't want him to see me while I undergo chemo, and most of all, I don't want to break his heart if…if I die.

-----

"Are you going to tell Bella and Alice?" Emmett asked as we walked through the halls of Forks High.

I looked down and clutched my books tighter to my chest. "Yes…I guess I should…but not now."

Emmett wrapped his toned arm around my waist. "When are you planning to?"

"I don't know…I'll think about it." My voice sounded weak; telling Alice and Bella my situation would be hard…I think I wouldn't be able to handle it. Telling Emmett was irrefutably hard and painful, so I'm sure telling Bella and Alice would be hard as well.

Emmett let out a small smile; he was still on the process of accepting the things that may happen from now on. "Okay…I'll see you later then. I'll drop by the S.C. in two hours." With that, he planted a tender kiss on my lips and jogged off.

I watched as his tall figure faded through the crowd; he had football practice while I had to go to the Student Center to catch up on the lessons I missed yesterday. Thankfully, Principal Turner allowed me to use the Student Center until I finish all the stuff I have to do; for some unknown reason, I don't want to do all my homework at home today.

"Hi Rosalie," Jonathan greeted; he was the nicest – well, everyone who works here in the Student Center are nice – co-tutor of mine. He was also scared of Emmett. "Why weren't you here yesterday?"

I smiled and put my books on the desk near me. "I wasn't feeling good yesterday."

"Are you okay now?" he asked with genuine concern.

Right then, I felt a sharp stabbing…wait…it's like something was burning in my left shoulder. I have experienced pain before, but this wasn't the same amount of pain I usually felt. I gasped involuntarily and reached for the table.

Jonathan's face changed into a worried expression. "Rosalie?"

Oh God… I took a deep breath. "I-I'm okay."

"Are you sure? You're paler than usual." Jonathan placed his arm on my shoulder and waited for an answer.

I shrugged, and shrugging was a mistake. It made the pain much worse. "I'm really fine, Jonathan. You can leave me now."

It was obvious in Jonathan's face that he didn't want to leave me, but with a little more prodding, I managed to get him out of the Center. As soon as he was out, my knees went weak; I fell on the floor. I probably looked miserable right now…it's a good thing that nobody could see me. I grabbed the edge of the desk once again for support and slowly stood up, and then grabbed my bag. Fortunately, I always bring a bottle of pain relievers with me.

-----

Two hours had passed since I felt the pain, and after taking pain relievers, the pain was still there. It was lessened, but still there. I couldn't concentrate on the lesson I had to study. The last time I was in pain was the first time I met Emmett; when he was saving me from robbers. It wasn't that painful, unlike this one I'm feeling right now. I sighed and closed the book I was reading and then closed my eyes. For a moment, I thought of how my life would have been if I never had leukemia…I might have been happy. Well, I am happy right now, but if only I was healthier, then I would be there for Emmett until we're old with grandchildren. But with this ailment, I can never be sure of what may happen. And what I fear the most is dying. I don't want to die and leave Emmett behind.

I felt someone move behind me, and before I could even react, a huge pair of hands covered my eyes. Emmett's familiar scent filled the air around me, and I could also feel his vibrant aura.

"Guess who," Emmett said in an attempted monster-like way of speaking.

I laughed. "I don't know…Bigfoot?"

Emmett's throaty laugh echoed through the Center. He planted a kiss on top of my head and removed his hands from my eyes. He pulled a chair behind him and sat beside me. "How's my pretty girl?"

For a moment, the pain became much easier to bear. A blush graced my face when he called me 'pretty girl'. "I'm…I'm okay."

"You sure? You looked tired when I entered the room."

I nodded; I didn't want him to worry. "Yes, I'm fine…just taking a break."

Emmett took my right hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. For a moment, he was just silent; looking at me with his dreamy brown eyes. For a guy like him, his eyes were full of innocence and a bit of gentleness.

"You have beautiful eyes," I sighed as I caressed his cheek with my left hand.

He let out a throaty laugh once again, filling the silence of the room. "Me? You've gotta be kidding me."

I shook my head and smiled. "Hey, I'm being honest here. You're a big muscular guy…but your eyes…whenever I look at them, it's like I'm looking through you."

The huge grin on Emmett's face was replaced by a small smile. He looked down and nodded his head slightly. "That's one of the reasons why I fell for you. You didn't look at my physical appearance; whenever you're looking at me, I feel like you're looking deep inside me."

I chuckled and heaved a sigh; these are one of the moments I like. Emmett was always a different person when he's with me. He wasn't afraid to show his true thoughts with me, and that's what makes me feel bad.

-----

On our way home last night, Emmett's mood changed; he was pensive and brooding. His mother had been trying to reach him again, and he couldn't understand why she would do that when all she ever wanted to do before was kick him out of the house. So now, here I am, standing in front of the McCarty residence. Emmett was still asleep; I made sure that he won't see me go to their house because he might get mad at me.

I have never talked to Mrs. McCarty before, so I do hope that she would like me. Of course, she's still Emmett's mother; I do want to make a good impression. After four knocks, I heard someone go down the stairs and then the door opened.

Mrs. McCarty plastered a smile when she saw me.

"Good morning, Mrs. McCarty," I greeted with a warm smile.

Mrs. McCarty nodded and opened the door wider. "Come on in." She closed the door behind us and then led me to the living room. "Take a seat. Emmett's not here -"

"Oh, I know he's not here." I sat down at the sofa and looked around; this was my first time inside the McCarty residence. Emmett was right; his mother was dedicated homemaker. The house was impeccably clean and nicely decorated. I bet Mrs. McCarty is very proud of her house.

Mrs. McCarty's brows furrowed. "Then what brings you here?"

If I'm not mistaken, there was a hint of dislike in her voice. She probably didn't want me here. "I want to talk to you…about Emmett."

"What about him?" Mrs. McCarty snapped as she sat on the chair adjacent to the sofa I was sitting on. "Did he send you here?"

"No…Mrs. McCarty, I'm not meaning to pry or anything, but…Emmett's your son. No offense, ma'am, but you should at least try to treat him like one."

Mrs. McCarty looked at me intently, as if she couldn't believe what I just said. I know I don't have the right to talk to her like that, but if that's what it takes to make Emmett's life better, then I'd do it.

Mrs. McCarty cleared her throat and then looked away. "My family problems are none of your business, Rosalie."

I looked down ad nodded. "I'm sorry. I just can't understand why you treat Emmett like that."

"Emmett got his brother k-"

"It wasn't his fault," I snapped; I wouldn't let her blame it on Emmett in front of me. I know Emmett was not the reason of Danny's death. It's about time Mrs. McCarty realize that fact. "It was nobody's fault. It was an accident. Did you know how devasted Emmett was after that accident? You weren't the only one who lost a loved one back then."

The sigh that Mrs. McCarty heaved gave me the impression that she did not know how much Danny's death tore Emmett apart. "I…" She looked down for a few seconds and then looked up at me again. Her eyes were cold this time. "Please, you can leave now. As I've said before, my family problems aren't your business."

Wow. She's a real…I don't know what word to use to describe her. Was she really that bitter? Was her mind set that way already, that she couldn't even bear to make a move to make her relationship with Emmett better? With that, I looked at her and gave her ra small smile and then stood up.

"Thank you for your time," I said as polite as I could before I walked out of their house.

Unfortunately, Emmett was right outside Bella's lawn when I came out of their house; he saw me, and the look on his face told me that he wasn't pleased at all. He dropped the newspaper he was holding and jogged towards me.

"What were you doing there?" he asked as he glanced towards his house.

I shrugged and decided that it would be better if I told him the truth. "I talked to your Mom."

"Jeez," Emmett exclaimed. "Why did you do that?"

I stopped right in front of my house and looked at Emmett. "I wanted to put some sense into her."

Emmett sighed in frustration and shook his head; he was obviously not happy with what I did. "You shouldn't have done that, Rose."

I looked down. "I just wanted to help."

Emmett went closer to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Thanks…" He kissed my forehead and let out a smile. "I'm really lucky to have you. But I doubt that your talk with Mom would change anything."

"She's so hard – I mean, what kind of mother could do that to her own son?" I shook my head in disbelief.

Emmett laughed. "My Mom is exactly that kind of mother." He sighed and looked at me, this time with a hint of slight joy in his eyes. "I'm lucky to have you. You're the only one who understood me and believed in me."

"You had so much potential," I replied. From the start, there was something about Emmett that pulled me into him, even after that incident when he shouted at me and called me a social climber; I knew he didn't meant those words. But still, I was hurt because of that, but he never gave up on asking for my forgiveness.

Emmett kissed me on my lips gently and then caressed my cheeks. Suddenly, there was a strange feeling inside of me, almost identical as the burning sensation I felt at the Student Center yesterday. It was stronger this time, and before I could even think of what to do, I felt myself fall and then my mind went blank.

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**Like it? Hate it? Please review. And again, sorry if it took me a long time to update.**


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